Final match for the East African AFCON Pamoja tourney slated for July 17, 2027
The AFCON 2027 dates were approved by the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) Council during its recent meeting which was held in Vancouver, Canada.
Black News 
The African Cup of Nations tourney being organized by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will kick off with the first match on Saturday, June 19, 2027, and will run for four consecutive weeks.
But the Confederation of African Football (CAF) which made the announcement did not reveal when or where the inaugural ceremony is going to take place, which should be either on the same date or a day earlier, that is Friday, the 18th of June 2027.
On the other hand, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has also officially announced the final dates for the historic Africa Cup of Nations 2027, which will be jointly hosted by the three East African Countries.
The final match for the AFCON Pamoja tourney is scheduled for Saturday, July 17, 2027.
The AFCON 2027 playing dates were approved by the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) Council during its recent meeting which was held in Vancouver, Canada.
But CAF is yet to confirm which of the three host nations will stage the opening match and the final
The 2027 edition will be the first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be co-hosted by three countries, marking a significant milestone for the African football sector.
The regional tournament is expected to reach an audience of over 400 million people across the East African region and globally.
Preparations for the tournament are reportedly already underway, with the preliminary round of matches accomplished.
The attention now shifts to the draw for the qualifiers, set to take place on May 19, 2026
A total of 48 teams, including those from the three co-hosting states, will participate in the qualification campaign.
The teams are divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the finals.
The qualifiers will be played during three FIFA international windows
Matchdays 1 and 2: September 21 to October 6, 2026 Matchdays 3 and 4: November 9 to 17, 2026
Matchdays 5 and 6: March 22 to 30, 2027
The 2027 tournament will also mark the return of AFCON to the Eastern Africa region for the first time in 40 years, since the Africa Cup of Nations was hosted by Ethiopia in 1976.
CAF said the upcoming finals will build on the success of recent editions, including Africa Cup of Nations 2025 and Africa Cup of Nations 2023, both of which recorded strong commercial growth, increased sponsorship and global broadcast audiences
