Nairobi, Kenya – 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.
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.
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. The delegation included officials responsible for competitions, safety and security, transport, media, television and logistics.
Kenya: Talanta takes centre stage
In Kenya, the biggest project is the newly built Talanta Sports International Stadium in Nairobi.
The 60,000-capacity stadium is intended to be the country’s flagship AFCON venue and was inspected by CAF earlier this month. During a subsequent visit, CAF President Patrice Motsepe said he was impressed by the progress at Talanta. He also visited Kasarani Stadium, where work remains to be completed.
But Kenya’s preparations extend well beyond its new flagship stadium.
CAF’s inspection also covered training venues, hotels, airport infrastructure and other sites supporting the Nairobi tournament operation.
Nicholus Musonye, chairman of Kenya’s AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee, told Al Jazeera that the country was addressing the outstanding 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.
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.
But concerns remain about some of the facilities that will support the tournament.
Kelvin Kimaru, a Kenyan football fan, told Al Jazeera that training grounds remained a concern.
“We are not yet ready because the training grounds for the coming teams are not yet ready,” Kimaru said.
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.
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. If you grade them on average, all of them are almost above 80 percent,” Msitha said.
Training facilities are being developed alongside the main venues, with five facilities being prepared in each host location. Msitha said they were about 75 percent complete.
The three East African hosts are moving from construction to testing and operational preparations as the 2027 tournament approaches [Hafsa Abdiwahab Sheikh/Al Jazeera]
The Tanzanian government has also applied pressure to accelerate the 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. He issued the directive after inspecting the Farasi and Leaders Club training grounds in Dar-es-Salaam.
Road infrastructure is also part of the preparations. 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.
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.
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.
Uganda faces its own deadlines
Uganda is working towards the same year-end push.
Patrick Ogwel, a CAF infrastructure monitoring officer, told Al Jazeera that infrastructure development was expected to be ready by December 31.
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.
Uganda’s Local Organising Committee has identified Akii-Bua, Hoima City Stadium and Mandela National Stadium as its three main stadiums. It expects 10 of the country’s 12 training facilities to be ready by the end of the 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.
But the deadlines are not without pressure.
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.
After its September inspection, the CAF delegation also briefed President Yoweri Museveni, with challenges outside Kampala among the issues raised during the assessment.
From construction to tournament readiness
The coming months will test whether the three hosts can turn construction progress into a functioning tournament 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.
A completed stadium is only one part of the equation.
CAF inspections are now focusing on whether venues and supporting facilities can meet the operational demands of the continental tournament [Hafsa Abdiwahab Sheikh/Al Jazeera]
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. CAF has also involved representatives from the three local organising committees in an observer mission at the recent AFCON in Morocco.
But AFCON will be a larger undertaking, with 24 national teams competing across the three countries for almost a month.
The coming months will determine whether the work under way across the three countries can be completed, verified and brought into operation before teams and supporters begin arriving.
For supporters in East Africa, the tournament represents more than a test of stadiums and infrastructure. It is also a chance to experience Africa’s biggest national-team competition on home soil.
Gilbert Okeya, a Kenyan football fan and Football Kenya Federation referee, told Al Jazeera:
“We are happy because we are going to host, and we are going to have an opportunity to have live matches for AFCON in our country.”
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Fatalities reached 3,901 across the DRC as health workers battle community anger and a vaccine-resistant strain.
Published On 28 Sep 202628 Sep 2026
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded over 8,000 cases of Ebola, including almost 4,000 deaths, amid the worst outbreak in the country’s history, according to government data.
The latest report, published on Monday by the DRC’s public health institute, put the number of cases at 8,067 and deaths at 3,901, representing a fatality rate of 48.4 percent.
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People’s mistrust and anger towards government policies have become a major obstacle in limiting the outbreak since it was officially declared on May 15. A senior member of the ruling UDPS party was beaten to death after raising awareness about the epidemic on radio, a party representative said on Monday. The killing happened on Sunday in Butembo in North Kivu province, which has become a hotspot in the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
The number of cases has levelled off after a rapid increase, according to the African Union’s health agency, Africa CDC, though it still considers the outbreak “not under control”.
Several treatments and vaccines are being trialled against the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.
The current outbreak, which is the DRC’s 17th, has spread rapidly. Experts say that weak health infrastructure, the region’s remoteness and ongoing conflict near the DRC’s borders with South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda have damaged efforts to respond to cases quickly and effectively.
Those issues have also hindered the government’s efforts to fight the outbreak, increasing public mistrust and anger towards its suggested prevention measures.
Marie-Celestin Karondwa, acting president of the UDPS party’s federal executive committee in Butembo, was attacked by local residents after appearing on a radio show where he discussed Ebola prevention measures, according to the Congolese health authorities.
In their latest case report, authorities highlighted a “low capacity” to treat cases at health centres in Ituri province and described a “complete shortage” of stocks of an experimental vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain in the northeastern province of Tshopo, where cases have been recorded.
The World Health Organization has said the outbreak is “far from over” and on track to surpass the regional 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak. It killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The United States announced last week that it was releasing a further $267 million to help fight Ebola. It is hoping for pledges from other countries to meet a target of $2 billion to fight the disease, mainly found in the DRC.
The qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations begin on Thursday, with 48 countries competing to earn spots in Africa’s biggest football tournament.
Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda will cohost AFCON 2027, as the competition returns to East Africa for the first time in 51 years.
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Divided into 12 groups, the teams will be involved in a six-round qualifying process that runs to March next year.
Here’s everything to know about AFCON 2027:
Which teams are in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers?
The draw for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers took place in Cairo, Egypt, in May.
The 48 teams competing in the qualifiers are as follows:
Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho
Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
Group C: Ivory Coast, Ghana, The Gambia, Somalia
Group D: South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, Eritrea
Group E: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe
Group F: Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Central African Republic
Group G: Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo
Group H: Tunisia, Uganda, Libya, Botswana
Group I: Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi
Group J: Senegal, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia
Group K: Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia
Group L: Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau
What are the top AFCON 2027 qualifying matches?
From the first two rounds:
Ivory Coast vs Ghana – Thursday, September 24 at 19:00 GMT
Nigeria vs Madagascar – Friday, September 25 at 16:00 GMT
Morocco vs Gabon – Friday, September 25 at 19:00 GMT
Egypt vs Angola – Friday, September 25 at 19:00 GMT
Algeria vs Zambia – Friday, September 25 at 19:00 GMT
Senegal vs Mozambique – Friday, September 25 at 19:00 GMT
South Africa vs Guinea – Saturday, September 26 at 16:00 GMT
What is the schedule for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers?
The six rounds of AFCON 2027 qualifying will be held across these FIFA international windows:
Rounds 1 and 2: September 21-October 6, 2026
Rounds 3 and 4: November 9-17, 2026
Rounds 5 and 6: March 22-30, 2027
How many teams can qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations?
In total, 24 teams qualify for AFCON 2027.
The general rule is that the top two teams in each group will advance to the finals.
However, in groups containing Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania – who have automatically qualified as cohosts – only the highest-ranked team outside the respective host country will go through.
The qualifiers will be played in a home and away format, with each team playing six matches.
When and where is AFCON 2027?
The 36th edition of AFCON will be held in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, bringing the tournament back to East Africa after five decades.
The tournament will run from June 19 to July 17, 2027, at 10 venues across the countries.
The stadiums are in the Tanzanian cities of Dar-es-Salaam, Arusha, Zanzibar, the Kenyan capital Nairobi, and Hoima, Kampala and Lira in Uganda.
Who won the last AFCON?
Senegal defeated Morocco 1-0 in the latest AFCON final on January 18, as Pape Gueye’s extra-time goal in a chaotic contest guided them to their second continental title.
But in March, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) made the extraordinary move to strip Senegal of their crown and award it to Morocco.
The controversial decision came after a review of an incident at the end of normal time in the final, which saw most of the Senegalese team temporarily leave the field to protest an added-time penalty awarded to Morocco, which was missed after a lengthy delay.
Senegal have appealed against CAF’s decision, and the appeal will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on October 8.
Senegal supporters protest after a controversial penalty was awarded to Morocco during the Africa Cup of Nations final [File: Youssef Loulidi/AP Photo]
Salah, Diaz and Lookman: The top players in AFCON 2027 qualifiers
Two-time African Footballer of the Year Mohamed Salah, who now plays club football for Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super Lig, stars in record seven-time African champions Egypt’s squad.
Fans should also watch out for Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz and teen midfield sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi in the Morocco squad, led by new coach Mohamed Ouahbi, as well as Ademola Lookman and Samuel Chukwueze in the Nigerian side.
Elsewhere, Ghana are strengthened by the return of their attacking midfielder Mohammed Kudus, who missed the FIFA World Cup 2026 during a seven-month injury absence, while Senegal’s midfield features several talents such as Ibrahim Mbaye and Iliman Ndiaye.
Will Mane and Hakimi play in the AFCON qualifiers?
Morocco will be without their key player and captain Achraf Hakimi for the opening two matches as he serves a two-match suspension, alongside Ismael Saibari, who is banned for three games, for unsporting behaviour during the shambolic AFCON final in January.
Senegal will be without Sadio Mane, two-time African Footballer of the Year, as the Al-Nassr player sits out the match against Mozambique with what newly-appointed coach Patrick Vieira described as a “physical issue”.
Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi in action during the FIFA World Cup 2026 [Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images]
Which other key players will miss the AFCON qualifiers?
Nigeria’s star striker Victor Osimhen will miss the opening qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau as he continues his recovery from a muscle problem. One of Africa’s finest forwards, Osimhen picked up the injury while playing for his Turkish club Galatasaray.
Naby Keita is among the several established names excluded from the Guinea squad, while Tunisia’s Hannibal Mejbri and Ivory Coast’s Amad Diallo are both out with injuries.
Gabon will be without former captain and all-time top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who quit international duty, saying he felt “humiliated” by his exclusion and subsequent reinstatement after the AFCON in Morocco in January.
Many other players also called time on their international careers this year. This includes Riyad Mahrez, who guided Algeria to the AFCON 2019 title; Edouard Mendy, Senegal’s first-choice goalkeeper during their AFCON 2021 triumph; and Ghana’s Spanish-born forward Inaki Williams.
How to watch and follow AFCON 2027 qualifying matches?
Fans can catch all the action from the AFCON 2027 qualifiers on the following broadcasters or streaming platforms:
Motsepe began his inspection visit for Afcon 2027 in Tanzania before touring Kenya, where he inspected two venues in Nairobi: Kasarani Stadium and the newly constructed 60,000-capacity Talanta Stadium.
BBC Sport Africa understands that one of the main areas of concern in Kenya is the Kasarani and its corresponding training facility.
When Caf conducted its previous inspection in mid-February, the local organisers were told that stadiums and their associated training facilities should be around 80% ready by August.
However, Kasarani has seen limited progress over the past seven months, with several areas still requiring attention.
One of the biggest challenges is the playing surface, which is yet to be laid. Work is also required on cabling for broadcast and television operations, floodlights and the stadiums’ sky boxes.
Motsepe also pointed to the demands created by hosting hundreds of VIPs and heads of state, saying some stadium designs will need to be reconfigured.
“Security issues in relation to where the special guests, particularly the heads of state, will be seated requires a revision of the original plans,” the 64-year-old explained.
Kenya’s cabinet secretary for sports Salim Mvurya insisted preparations would be completed on time.
“I assure Caf and Kenyans we will accelerate the preparations for Afcon 2027,” Mvurya said.
“We will conclude everything by December to be sure we can have test matches in the various facilities.”
