Nairobi, Kenya – With less than nine months until the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are entering the most demanding phase of preparations: completing and testing the stadiums, training grounds and supporting infrastructure needed to host the tournament. The tournament, scheduled for June 19 to July 17, 2027, will be the first Africa Cup of Nations jointly hosted by three countries and the competition’s return to East Africa since Ethiopia staged the finals in 1976. A Confederation of African Football (CAF) delegation spent eight days inspecting facilities across the three host countries earlier this month, assessing stadiums, training grounds, hotels, airports and other infrastructure.
The delegation included officials responsible for competitions, safety and security, transport, media, television and logistics. In Kenya, the biggest project is the newly built Talanta Sports International Stadium in Nairobi. The 60,000-capacity stadium is intended to be the country’s flagship AFCON venue and was inspected by CAF earlier this month.
During a subsequent visit, CAF President Patrice Motsepe said he was impressed by the progress at Talanta. He also visited Kasarani Stadium, where work remains to be completed. But Kenya’s preparations extend well beyond its new flagship stadium.
CAF’s inspection also covered training venues, hotels, airport infrastructure and other sites supporting the Nairobi tournament operation. Nicholus Musonye, chairman of Kenya’s AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee, told Al Jazeera that the country was addressing the outstanding requirements. He said work on Kasarani’s pitch should be completed by the end of October, with the venue planned to be ready for handover in December.
But concerns remain about some of the facilities that will support the tournament. Kelvin Kimaru, a Kenyan football fan, told Al Jazeera that training grounds remained a concern. Moses Kamalik, an executive member of the Boxing Federation of Kenya, said other venues also needed work, including Nyayo Stadium and Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret.
The challenge for Kenya is broader than completing Talanta; it needs a network of match venues, training grounds and supporting facilities capable of operating together when teams and supporters arrive. Tanzania is also entering the final stretch, with preparations covering stadiums, training grounds and the infrastructure connecting them. Neema Msitha, chief executive of the country’s AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee, told Al Jazeera that the country’s stadiums were more than 80 percent complete on average and expected to be ready for handover to CAF in January.
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