The Confederation of African Football has confirmed the AFCON 2027 expansion, growing the tournament from 24 to 28 teams. CAF President Patrice Motsepe announced the change during a media briefing in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Motsepe told reporters the AFCON 2027 expansion reflects the continental body’s plan to grow Africa’s biggest football competition further. The decision comes after CAF had already shifted the tournament to a four-year cycle instead of the previous two-year gap.
The expanded 2027 edition will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It will run from 19 June to 17 July 2027 and mark the first time the tournament has been staged in East Africa.
Under the AFCON 2027 expansion, the 28 nations will be split into seven groups of four teams, up from the current six groups. This replaces the format used since 2019, when CAF first grew the tournament from 16 to 24 teams for the Egypt edition.
The top two sides from each group will progress automatically to the round of 16. The remaining two places will go to the two best third-placed teams, keeping the total number of knockout qualifiers at 16.
That structure differs from the most recent edition in Morocco, where four best third-placed teams joined the group winners and runners-up to complete the round of 16. Organisers say CAF will release full details of the qualification system in due course.
Qualifiers for the 2027 tournament will be played across three international windows. CAF has scheduled these for 21 September to 6 October 2026, 9 to 17 November 2026, and 22 to 30 March 2027.
Motsepe also used the briefing to announce a major prize money increase for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The winner will now receive $2 million, doubling the previous prize of $1 million, while each of the 16 qualified teams will receive at least $150,000.
Football administrators across the continent have welcomed the AFCON 2027 expansion as a step towards wider participation. Supporters argue that four extra places will give developing football nations more chances to test themselves against the continent’s established sides.
Others have raised concerns that a bigger tournament could stretch the competitive standard, pointing to fixture congestion and the strain on smaller federations with limited resources. CAF has not addressed these concerns directly beyond stating its commitment to improving the quality and commercial value of African football.
The Africa Cup of Nations has grown steadily since it began in 1957 with just three participating nations. The competition later expanded to eight teams, then 12, then 16, before the 2019 jump to 24 sides in Egypt.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are hosting the tournament together under the “Pamoja” hosting project, a joint bid that will require significant investment in stadiums and infrastructure ahead of 2027. Their preparation timeline has now been shaped further by the AFCON 2027 expansion, which adds logistical demands around accommodating four additional squads and an extra group.
CAF has indicated that further operational details, including venue allocations and the qualification pathway, will follow in the coming months.
