2027 Africa Cup of Nations Predictions & Tips

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The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be the 36th edition of the tournament, the first to be hosted by three countries. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will host the event from 19 June to 18 July.

The tournament will also be the last to be held in odd-numbered years, AFCON becoming a quadrennial tournament from 2028 onwards.

AFCON 2027 is expected to be held at 12 stadiums, five of them being built to accommodate the tournament. Three of the venues are set to be in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

Senegal are the defending champions having beaten hosts Morocco in the 2025 final. It was the Lions of Teranga's second victory in the previous three events.

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Teams


There will be 24 teams competing in the tournament. Hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will be 21 teams from the qualifying groups.

Qualification


Qualification begins on 23 March 2026. Teams ranked 1st to 42nd in the FIFA World Ranking received a bye to the group stage.

Teams ranked 43rd to 54th participate in the preliminary round.

Round Matchday Dates
Preliminary round First leg 25-31 March 2026
Preliminary round Second leg 25-31 March 2026
Group stage Matchday 1 21 September - 6 October 2026
Group stage Matchday 2 21 September - 6 October 2026
Group stage Matchday 3 21 September - 6 October 2026
Group stage Matchday 4 21 September - 6 October 2026
Group stage Matchday 5 9-17 November 2026
Group stage Matchday 6 9-17 November 2026

Venues


The tournament i expected to be played at 12 venues in 10 cities across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It was initially reported that each host nation would provide three stadiums.

Country City Stadium Capacity
Tanzania Dar es Salaam Benjamin Mkapa Stadium 60,000
Tanzania Arusha Samia Suluhu Hassan Stadium (New) 30,000
Tanzania Dodoma Dodoma Stadium (New) 32,000
Tanzania Zanzibar Amaan Stadium 15,000
Kenya Nairobi Talanta Sports Stadium (New) 60,000
Kenya Nairobi Moi International Sports Centre 55,000
Kenya Nairobi Nyayo National Stadium 30,000
Kenya Kakamega Bukhungu Stadium 25,000
Kenya Eldoret Kipchoge Keino Stadium 15,000
Uganda Hoima Hoima City Stadium (New) 20,000
Uganda Lira Akii Bua Stadium (New) 20,000
Uganda Kampala Mandela National Stadium 60,000

Schedule


The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Saturday 19 June with the final set to be played on Sunday 18 July.

Africa Cup of Nations Finals


Egypt have won the tournament a record seven times, Cameroon next best with five. Ivory Coast won on home soil in 2023, the first time a home nation had won since Egypt in 2006.

Senegal are the defending champions after beating hosts Morocco in the 2025 final. It was the Lions of Teranga's second victory in four years having lifted the trophy in 2021.

Edition
Year
Host
Champion
Score
Runner-up
37 2028 tbc tbc tbc tbc
36 2027 Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda tbc tbc tbc
35 2025 Morocco Senegal 1-0 (aet) Morocco
34 2023 Ivory Coast Ivory Coast 2-1 Nigeria
33 2021 Cameroon Senegal 0-0 (4-2 p) Egypt
32 2019 Egypt Algeria 1-0 Senegal
31 2017 Gabon Cameroon 2-1 Egypt
30 2015 Equatorial Guinea Ivory Coast 0-0 (9-8 p) Ghana
29 2013 South Africa Nigeria 1-0 Burkina Faso
28 2012 Gabon & Equatorial Guinea Zambia 0-0 (8-7 p) Ivory Coast
27 2010 Angola Egypt 1-0 Ghana
26 2008 Ghana Egypt 1-0 Cameroon
25 2006 Egypt Egypt 0-0 (4-2 p) Ivory Coast
24 2004 Tunisia Tunisia 2-1 Morocco
23 2002 Mali Cameroon 0-0 (3-2 p) Senegal
22 2000 Ghana & Nigeria Cameroon 2-2 (4-3 p) Nigeria
21 1998 Burkina Faso Egypt 2-0 South Africa
20 1996 South Africa South Africa 2-0 Tunisia
19 1994 Tunisia Nigeria 2-1 Zambia
18 1992 Senegal Ivory Coast 0-0 (11-10 p) Ghana
17 1990 Algeria Algeria 1-0 Nigeria
16 1988 Morocco Cameroon 1-0 Nigeria
15 1986 Egypt Egypt 0-0 (5-4 p) Cameroon
14 1984 Ivory Coast Cameroon 3-1 Nigeria
13 1982 Libya Ghana 1-1 (7-6 p) Libya
12 1980 Nigeria Nigeria 3-0 Algeria
11 1978 Ghana Ghana 2-0 Uganda
10 1976 Ethiopia Morocco round-robin Guinea
9 1974 Egypt Zaire 2-2 (2-0 re) Zambia
8 1972 Cameroon Congo 3-2 Mali
7 1970 Sudan Sudan 1-0 Ghana
6 1968 Ethiopia Congo-Kinshasa 1-0 Ghana
5 1965 Tunisia Ghana 3-2 (aet) Tunisia
4 1963 Ghana Ghana 3-0 Sudan
3 1962 Ethiopia Ethiopia 4-2 (aet) United Arab Republic
2 1959 Egypt United Arab Republic round-robin Sudan
1 1957 Sudan Egypt 4-0 Ethiopia

2027 Africa Cup of Nations FAQ

  • When is the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations being played?

    The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be played from 19 June to 18 July.

  • Where is the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations being played?

    The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is being played in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

  • How many teams are playing in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations?

    There are 24 teams playing in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations including hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

  • Where is the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations final being played?

    The venue for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations final is yet to be announced.

  • When is the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations final being played?

    The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations final will be played on Sunday 18 July.

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