The race to deliver a successful TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 has quietly entered a decisive phase, with CAF dispatching a team of technical inspectors to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to evaluate their state of readiness.
Rather than ceremonial visits, this week’s engagements mark a rigorous audit of infrastructure, safety systems and operational capacity across the three co-hosting nations. The assessments, which run until 17 February, focus on stadium quality, training facilities, security arrangements and overall tournament logistics — key pillars in meeting CAF’s elite competition standards.
The spotlight on East Africa will intensify further with the expected visit of CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe and members of the CAF Executive Committee to Tanzania, underlining the importance of the joint hosting project.
In Tanzania, inspections began in Dar es Salaam at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium before extending to Arusha’s Samia Suluhu Stadium and Zanzibar’s Amaan and Fumba stadiums. Kenya’s evaluation centres on Nairobi, with Kasarani, Nyayo and Talanta Sports Stadiums undergoing scrutiny alongside major training complexes.
Uganda’s programme spans Kampala, Entebbe and Hoima, with Mandela National Stadium and the under-development Hoima City Stadium forming critical components of the country’s hosting blueprint.
CAF’s hands-on approach reflects a broader ambition: to elevate AFCON into a consistently world-class spectacle while strengthening long-term football infrastructure across the continent. For the three East African nations, the inspections are more than compliance checks — they are a test of ambition, coordination and readiness to stage Africa’s biggest sporting event.
