Last Odd-Year AFCON: Motsepe Urges East Africa to Equal Morocco’s Hosting Highs
CAF President Patrice Motsepe has urged Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to match Morocco’s record-setting 2025 AFCON standards ahead of their joint hosting in 2027. The 36th edition, set for June 19–July 18, marks East Africa’s first AFCON in 50 years and the last odd-year tournament before CAF switches to a quadrennial format in 2028.
“You are paranoid and obsessed with success, you increase the chances of success...”
Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has challenged East Africa to match the standard set by Morocco when they host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
After Morocco successfully hosted the 2025 edition, the 36th edition will be jointly co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, and is scheduled to run from June 19th to July 18th.
This will be the first time three East African nations co-host Africa’s premier football tournament, and the first time in 50 years the CECAFA region stages it, since Ethiopia hosted in 1976.
During the 2025 edition, Morocco set new hosting benchmarks, with Motsepe saying after the tournament that the North African nation had raised standards “very, very high” for the continent.
Morocco set a record by using nine stadiums across six cities - Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Marrakech, Agadir, and Fes - for the 24-team tournament, expanding beyond the traditional six-venue model.
The tournament featured advanced logistics, including high-speed rail linking host cities, dedicated training grounds for every team, and five-star accommodation.
With this in mind, the CAF supremo has called on Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania not to let the standards set by Morocco drop even by an inch, adding he was confident the 2027 edition will also be successful.
Motsepe Sets Bar High for East Africa 2027 Hosts
“You see, Morocco has raised the standard. It has raised the standard, and I'm not just happy, I’m proud of that. So, the next AFCON, you have a high standard to come up to and to maintain,” said Motsepe as quoted by Pulse Sports.
“That’s why I took the Exco to Tanzania after the AFCON to say to them, I have confidence in you and we’re going to work together and make a change because I need to develop football in East Africa.
“I need to develop football throughout the continent in every single one of the zones in Africa, in every single one of the 54 nations in Africa.”
The tournament in Morocco recorded unprecedented ticket sales and introduced official Fan Parks with free entry, reinforcing the “We Are Different” theme. It also delivered major commercial success, with competition revenues reportedly surging 90% and 23 sponsors coming on board.
To support East Africa in delivering a successful edition, Motsepe confirmed he will soon visit Kenya to meet with the head of state and inspect infrastructure.
The 2027 AFCON will kick start on June 19#3Sports pic.twitter.com/mxzv02R6Oc
— #3Sports (@3SportsGh) April 7, 2026
CAF President to Inspect Kenya’s AFCON 2027 Readiness
“I'll be going to Kenya. There's a meeting of heads of state, and I wasn't going to go there because there was a conflict on that date. But when some of the heads of state asked me to be there, I had no choice but to rearrange and be in Kenya on May 12,” offered Motsepe.
“I’m going to use that visit to look at the infrastructure. There’s a team from CAF that is based in East Africa, because you know, in life, you reap what you sow, you work very hard, you succeed.
“You are paranoid and obsessed with success, you increase the chances of success, and we are very clear about the very high standards we set for ourselves, so I’m clear that we’re going to succeed there in Tanzania, in Kenya and Uganda.”
The 2027 edition will coincide with AFCON’s 70th anniversary and will be the last held in an odd-numbered year, after CAF announced in December 2025 that the tournament will become quadrennial from 2028 onwards.
Hosting AFCON follows Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania’s joint staging of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in February 2025. In the final, Morocco defeated Madagascar 3-2 to claim their third CHAN title in six years.
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