Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Dr Patrice Motsepe has expressed confidence in the preparations for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027, insisting that the tournament will be a major success when it is hosted in East Africa.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are set to make history as the first joint hosts of the continental football showpiece in the region, with the three countries collaborating to stage the tournament next year.
Speaking during a media briefing in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Dr Motsepe praised the commitment and efforts of the governments of the three host nations, saying he was confident they would deliver a successful competition.
“The AFCON in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will be enormously successful,” Motsepe said.
Reflecting on previous tournament preparations, the CAF president highlighted the importance of maintaining confidence in African nations selected to host major competitions, despite possible difficulties during the build-up.
“During the World Cup 2014, I was there, and I could see some portions of the stadium that hosted the opening game were not complete,” he added.
“When I took over CAF, there was no way I was going to take the hosting rights from Cameroon in 2021 because we need to have confidence in our people despite the challenges.”
Motsepe explained that setbacks are part of the process when organising major sporting events but stressed that CAF remains committed to supporting African countries to successfully host international competitions.
“Sometimes there will be failures, but we will try again, so the AFCON in East Africa is going to be successful. There are some challenges, but I am proud of the work the heads of state of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are doing.”
The CAF boss also commended the leadership of the three countries for their commitment towards improving infrastructure and ensuring the tournament meets the required standards.
The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2027 will mark the return of the competition to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted the tournament in 1976.
Meanwhile, preparations for the tournament’s qualifying campaign are already underway, with the AFCON 2027 qualifiers scheduled to begin in September this year as national teams across the continent begin their quest for a place at the finals.
