AFCON 2027 Dates Confirmed: 19 June to 17 July — Here's What It Means for Fans
CAF has officially confirmed AFCON PAMOJA 2027 kicks off 19 June and the Final is 17 July. We break down what the dates mean for travel planning, qualifier windows, and booking your package early.
It's official. CAF has confirmed the dates that East Africa — and the whole continent — has been waiting for.
AFCON PAMOJA 2027 kicks off on Saturday, 19 June 2027. The Final is Saturday, 17 July 2027.
The announcement came directly from CAF following approval by the FIFA Council in Vancouver. The full tournament name is the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027, co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
What "PAMOJA" means
PAMOJA is Swahili for "together." It's the official name for this edition of the tournament, reflecting the joint hosting by three East African nations for the first time in AFCON history. It's a fitting name — this is the first AFCON to be co-hosted by three countries, and the first time the tournament returns to East Africa since Ethiopia hosted it in 1976.
The exact dates
- Opening Match: Saturday, 19 June 2027
- Final: Saturday, 17 July 2027
- Total tournament duration: 29 days
CAF hasn't yet announced which country hosts the Opening Match and which hosts the Final. That announcement is still to come. Once it's confirmed, demand for packages tied to those specific cities will spike immediately — so if you have a preference, now is the time to register your interest.
The qualifier road map
The path to the Final Tournament is now clearer:
- Draw for Qualifiers: 19 May 2026
- Qualifiers Matchdays 1 & 2: 21 September – 6 October 2026
- Qualifiers Matchdays 3 & 4: 9–17 November 2026
- Qualifiers Matchdays 5 & 6: 22–30 March 2027
48 teams will be drawn into 12 groups of four. The top two from each group qualify. That's 24 teams confirmed by the end of March 2027 — roughly three months before the tournament begins.
The three co-hosts — Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda — qualify automatically and do not play in the qualifying competition.
Why this matters for travel planning
With the dates now locked, the question for any fan is simple: can you be there?
June 19 to July 17 is a clear window. It's dry season across East Africa — good weather in Nairobi, Kampala, and Dar es Salaam. It overlaps with European summer holidays, which means diaspora fans from the UK, Netherlands, and elsewhere can realistically make the trip without burning annual leave on school-term dates.
The practical implication: flights and hotels for these exact weeks will start pricing up as awareness grows. Anyone who books now — before the draw, before the full schedule, before the media cycle builds — will pay significantly less than someone who waits until June 2027.
What we don't know yet
- Host city for the Opening Match — not yet announced
- Host city for the Final — not yet announced
- Full fixture list — follows after the draw and qualifying campaign
- Stadium assignments — to be confirmed by CAF
These details will land throughout 2026 and early 2027. When they do, this page will be updated.
The bigger picture
CAF made the point in their announcement that this tournament is built to reach over 400 million people across the East Africa region. Morocco 2025 and Côte d'Ivoire 2023 set records on commercial revenue, broadcasting, and global audiences. PAMOJA 2027 is designed to build on that.
For fans, this is a rare opportunity. Three co-hosts means three different countries, three different experiences, and more chances to catch matches regardless of where you base yourself. The tournament is bigger and more distributed than any previous edition.
What you should do now
If you're serious about attending: register your interest with us now. We'll notify you as soon as packages are updated with the confirmed dates, and you'll get first access before we open to the general list.
The window from now until the qualifier draw in May 2026 is the best time to move. After that, prices rise, availability drops, and the scramble begins.
East Africa is ready. June 19, 2027 can't come fast enough.
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