Speaking after a meeting of Caf’s executive committee in Dar es Salaam, Motsepe described reports of a delay as “totally unfounded” and expressed strong confidence in the preparations of co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
“The Afcon next year in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda is going to be enormously successful,” he said. “I am enormously confident. There are always challenges. We have to believe in ourselves as Africans and believe in our people. The quality of people we have who lead African football are world class.”
Infrastructure Concerns Surface
Questions have been raised in recent months over whether stadiums and supporting infrastructure in the three East African nations will be completed in time for the finals.
Adding to the debate, Nicholas Musonye, chair of Kenya’s local organising committee, told AFP that postponing the tournament to 2028 “would be good for Kenya,” noting the country will be preparing for a general election in August 2027.
Despite such remarks, Caf officials are conducting inspections of facilities and infrastructure across the host nations through Tuesday, as part of ongoing readiness assessments.
Calendar Commitments and Format Changes
Caf had previously committed to staging the Africa Cup of Nations mid-year from 2019 onward. However, the past three editions were held in January–February or December–January slots.
Holding the competition during the European club season has frequently triggered disputes between national teams and clubs over player release dates. In a further shift, Afcon will move from a biennial to a four-year cycle starting in 2028.
Motsepe said the precise dates for the 2027 finals would be confirmed in due course. While he did not provide an update on bids for the 2028 edition, he indicated a desire to expand the tournament from 24 to 28 teams in the future.
Wafcon 2026 Still Planned for Morocco
Elsewhere, Motsepe reaffirmed that Morocco remains the designated host of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), scheduled to kick off on 17 March.
Earlier comments by South Africa’s deputy sports minister suggesting her country could step in to host the event were later clarified by sports minister Gayton McKenzie, who confirmed that Morocco remains the official host.
“Some other countries said ‘Please can we host it?’ but they want to change the date,” Motsepe said. “We can’t change the date because it is a qualifier for the [2027] Women’s World Cup.
“The Wafcon continues and it will be successful. It has to take place within that window.”
With Caf standing firm on both scheduling and host nations, attention now turns to infrastructure progress and final logistical preparations ahead of what would be a historic first joint Afcon staging by the three East African countries.