With less than nine months until the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are entering the most demanding phase of preparations: completing and testing the stadiums, training grounds and supporting infrastructure needed to host the tournament.
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Kenya → kick → tournament
The tournament, scheduled for June 19 to July 17, 2027, will be the first Africa Cup of Nations jointly hosted by three countries and the competition’s return to East Africa since Ethiopia staged the finals in 1976.
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Ethiopia → schedule → 1976
A Confederation of African Football (CAF) delegation spent eight days inspecting facilities across the three host countries earlier this month, assessing stadiums, training grounds, hotels, airports and other infrastructure.
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delegation → spend → stadiums
The delegation included officials responsible for competitions, safety and security, transport, media, television and logistics.
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delegation → include → competitions
Talanta takes centre stage
In Kenya, the biggest project is the newly built Talanta Sports International Stadium in Nairobi.
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project → take → Nairobi
The 60,000-capacity stadium is intended to be the country’s flagship AFCON venue and was inspected by CAF earlier this month.
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stadium → intend → CAF
During a subsequent visit, CAF President Patrice Motsepe said he was impressed by the progress at Talanta.
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he → say → Talanta
He also visited Kasarani Stadium, where work remains to be completed.
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work → visit → Stadium
But Kenya’s preparations extend well beyond its new flagship stadium.
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preparations → extend → stadium
CAF’s inspection also covered training venues, hotels, airport infrastructure and other sites supporting the Nairobi tournament operation.
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inspection → cover → operation
Nicholus Musonye, chairman of Kenya’s AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee, told Al Jazeera that the country was addressing the outstanding requirements.
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country → tell → requirements
“I want to assure Africa, and I want to assure the world, that Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, we are ready to host AFCON,” Musonye said.
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Musonye → want → AFCON
He said work on Kasarani’s pitch should be completed by the end of October, with the venue planned to be ready for handover in December.
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venue → say → December
But concerns remain about some of the facilities that will support the tournament.
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that → remain → tournament
Kelvin Kimaru, a Kenyan football fan, told Al Jazeera that training grounds remained a concern.
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grounds → tell → Jazeera
“We are not yet ready because the training grounds for the coming teams are not yet ready,” Kimaru said.
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Kimaru → come → teams
Moses Kamalik, an executive member of the Boxing Federation of Kenya, said other venues also needed work, including Nyayo Stadium and Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret.
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venues → say → Eldoret
The challenge for Kenya is broader than completing Talanta; it needs a network of match venues, training grounds and supporting facilities capable of operating together when teams and supporters arrive.
Tanzania: the race extends beyond stadiums
Tanzania is also entering the final stretch, with preparations covering stadiums, training grounds and the infrastructure connecting them.
Neema Msitha, chief executive of the country’s AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee, told Al Jazeera that the country’s stadiums were more than 80 percent complete on average and expected to be ready for handover to CAF in January.
“All these stadiums are almost ready.
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stadiums → complete → January
grade them on average, all of them are almost above 80 percent,” Msitha said.
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Msitha → grade → them
Training facilities are being developed alongside the main venues, with five facilities being prepared in each host location.
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facilities → develop → location
Msitha said they were about 75 percent complete.
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they → say → ?
The Tanzanian government has also applied pressure to accelerate the work.
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government → apply → work
In August, Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba ordered work on AFCON training grounds to speed up, saying the facilities needed to be completed on time and meet CAF standards.
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facilities → order → standards
He issued the directive after inspecting the Farasi and Leaders Club training grounds in Dar-es-Salaam.
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He → issue → Salaam
In June, Works Minister Abdallah Ulega ordered contractors working on roads linked to the tournament in Arusha to operate around the clock to meet deadlines and international standards.
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contractors → order → deadlines
Msitha pointed to regional airlines, Air Tanzania and ferry services between Dar-es-Salaam and Zanzibar as part of the transport arrangements being developed for teams, officials and supporters.
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Msitha → point → teams
CAF’s September inspection included Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar-es-Salaam and other key facilities in Tanzania as the governing body continued to assess preparations across the three hosts.
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body → include → hosts
Uganda faces its own deadlines
Uganda is working towards the same year-end push.
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Uganda → face → push
Patrick Ogwel, a CAF infrastructure monitoring officer, told Al Jazeera that infrastructure development was expected to be ready by December 31.
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development → monitor → December
Hoima City Stadium has been completed and commissioned, he said, while Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira is due to be completed and commissioned by December.
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Stadium → complete → December
Uganda’s Local Organising Committee has identified Akii-Bua, Hoima City Stadium and Mandela National Stadium as its three main stadiums.
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Committee → identify → stadiums
It expects 10 of the country’s 12 training facilities to be ready by the end of the year.
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10 → expect → year
The organising committee said after CAF’s latest inspection that all three stadiums remained on course for completion by the end of December, while some training facilities were planned to be completed in January 2027.
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facilities → organise → January
On September 24, Uganda’s State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang directed the Uganda People’s Defence Forces to accelerate work on several AFCON training facilities, citing concerns about the pace of construction at sites including Pece Stadium in Gulu, Lira and Gulu University.
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Minister → direct → Gulu
After its September inspection, the CAF delegation also briefed President Yoweri Museveni, with challenges outside Kampala among the issues raised during the assessment.
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delegation → brief → assessment
From construction to tournament readiness
The coming months will test whether the three hosts can turn construction progress into a functioning tournament operation.
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hosts → come → operation
AFCON requires stadiums and training grounds that can handle teams and spectators while meeting requirements for broadcasting, media, security, transport, hospitality and match operations.
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that → require → broadcasting
A completed stadium is only one part of the equation.
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stadium → complete → equation
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have already gained experience from jointly hosting the 2024 African Nations Championship, which allowed the three countries to work together on a major continental tournament.
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countries → gain → tournament
CAF has also involved representatives from the three local organising committees in an observer mission at the recent AFCON in Morocco.
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CAF → involve → Morocco
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
