The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, has firmly dismissed reports suggesting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations could be moved from East Africa.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania were awarded the rights to jointly host the tournament, marking the first time the competition will be staged across three East African nations. However, recent media speculation had cast doubt over their readiness, citing infrastructure concerns.
Speaking at a press conference in Dar es Salaam following a CAF Executive Committee meeting, Motsepe addressed the rumours directly and described them as a misinterpretation of his earlier remarks.
“I admit there will be challenges like we witnessed in Cameroon and Ivory Coast. I was asked to strip off the hosting rights due to infrastructure concerns, but we supported these countries, and the tournament ended in a success,” he said.
Motsepe was referring to previous editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, where host nations faced logistical and infrastructure hurdles but ultimately delivered successful tournaments.
He emphasised that Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are making significant progress in their preparations and assured fans that CAF remains fully committed to the East African project.
“As CAF, we will work tirelessly to ensure that AFCON 2027 will be a success,” he added.
Motsepe also argued that restricting the tournament to only countries with world-class infrastructure would undermine the broader development of African football.
The East African bid, anchored in Nairobi, Kampala and Dar es Salaam, has been widely viewed as an opportunity to expand the game’s footprint in the region. By publicly reaffirming CAF’s backing, Motsepe sought to calm speculation and shift focus back to preparations.
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