Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya to co-host 2027 AFCON as Morocco to host 2025 edition

* Returns to East Africa after 51 years since it was last hosted by Ethiopia in 1976

* The 36th edition of the competition will also be the very first time it is hosted by three countries

* Coming after it was last co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in 2012, which was won by Zambia for their first-ever AFCON title

Maravi Express

Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya have officially been confirmed by Confederation of African Football (CAF) as co-hosts of the 2027 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) while Morocco were announced as hosts of the 35th edition in 2025.

The decision for Africa’s biggest football fiesta to return to East Africa after 51 years since it was last hosted by Ethiopia in 1976, was confirmed by the CAF president, Patrice Motsepe after a CAF executive committee meeting in Cairo last week.

The 36th edition of the competition will also be the very first time it is hosted by three countries coming after it was last co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in 2012, which was won by Zambia for their first-ever AFCON title.

As for Morocco, this will be its second hosting of the Africa’s flagship event — 35 years after the North African country staged the competition in 1988.

A report by CAFonline says in awarding the host nations, CAF took into account the extensive reports of the independent assessment committees (Roland Berger for AFCON 2025 and PricewaterhouseCoopers for AFCON 2027) which visited and assessed the bidding countries. and the,

Motsepe is quoted as saying: “The CAF executive committee was impressed by the quality of the presentations by the bidding countries and the reports of Roland Berger and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“We want to congratulate Morocco and Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda and we are confident that they will fulfil the very high standards that we have set for hosting a successful and world-class AFCON competition.

“I am also pleased that our commitment to enable each of the 6 CAF Zonal Unions to host the AFCON competition is being implemented by the AFCON 2027 being awarded to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda — which are part of the CECAFA Zone.”

The report further said the CAF Secretariat led by Véron Mosengo-Omba will be visiting Morocco and Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda to discuss and ensure that the commitments and undertakings that were made by the AFCON hosting countries are being adhered to.

The hosts for the 2023 edition are Côte d’Ivoire whose participants are Angola, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, The Gambia and Tunisia.

In his message soon after the qualifiers concluded, CAF president Motsepe congratulated the 24 nations, saying: “The quality of the teams that have qualified is a clear indication that we will hold the most successful AFCON in the history of the competition.”

On FIFA rankings, Morocco still lead Africa moving two places up to position 13 while reigning  African champions Senegal dropped two places from position 18 but remain amongst the top 20 in the world as they occupy position 20.

Tunisia is now amongst the top 30 in the world after moving up to position 29, while Mali and Cote d’Ivoire both move two places up to 49 and 50 to break into the top 50 ranked sides, replacing Greece and Paraguay respectively. 

As a result, CAF now has 9 teams in the top 50, which is two more compared to the previous rankings.

Guinea-Bissau made the biggest improvement in the rankings, moving up six places to position 106.

Malawi are 123 in the world and 31 in Africa as Argentina still top the FIFA rankings ahead of France and Brazil.

The 15 highest ranked African teams: 

• 1. Morocco: 13
• 2. Senegal: 20
• 3. Tunisia: 29
• 4. Algeria: 34
• 5. Egypt: 35
• 6. Nigeria: 40
• 7. Cameroon: 41
• 8. Mali: 49
• 9. Côte d’Ivoire: 50
• 10. Burkina Faso: 58
• 11. Ghana: 60
• 12. DR Congo: 64
• 13. South Africa: 65
• 14. Cape Verde: 71
• 15. Guinea: 81

Meanwhile, Motsepe and president of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Ahmed Al Thani, signed a landmark memorandum of understanding (MoU) last week in Cairo, Egypt — aimed at developing and uplifting the quality of football and to make football in Africa and in the Gulf region globally competitive.

Motsepe is quoted by CAFonline as saying: “CAF is excited to work together with the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation and to make football in Africa and in the Gulf Region amongst the best in the World.

“The potential of what we can achieve by working together is enormous. I would like to thank Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Ahmed Al Thani for being a committed friend of CAF over many years and for working together and partnering with CAF to develop and grow football in Africa and in the Gulf Region.”