With under 10 months to go, CAF is reportedly weighing a Christmas and New Year window for AFCON 2027 as Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania struggle to keep pace.
Africa's biggest football party could be heading for a major reshuffle. AFCON 2027, the first edition to be shared by East Africa's "Pamoja" trio of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, may be pushed from its planned summer slot into the Christmas and New Year period as preparations lag behind schedule.
Publicly, CAF is holding the line. The tournament is still officially set for 19 June to 17 July next year, and president Patrice Motsepe reaffirmed at a strategic conference in Cape Verde last week that the competition is heading to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. He also promised the most successful Africa Cup of Nations ever.
Behind closed doors, the mood is reportedly far more anxious. Construction and organisational work across the three host nations is said to be moving slower than CAF would like, with fewer than 10 months on the clock. Motsepe himself admitted ahead of the qualifying campaign that the situation demanded great urgency with nine months to go.
Contingency plans are said to be in motion too. CAF has reportedly sounded out five countries that could step in at short notice if the 2027 hosts cannot meet the required standards, with Morocco, hosts of the 2025 edition, among them. A Christmas window would be a big shift for fans, broadcasters and clubs, but for now the Pamoja nations have a narrowing runway to prove they can deliver.
