The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the official schedule for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, fixing the opening match for 19 June 2027 and the final for 17 July 2027. CAF announced the dates in a statement on Saturday, explaining that the timeline received approval from the FIFA Council at its recent meeting in Vancouver, Canada, while the host city for both the opening and final matches will be named later. “The opening match will be played on Saturday, 19 June 2027, and the final on Saturday, 17 July 2027,” CAF stated. The 2027 tournament will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, marking the first time AFCON will take place across three countries. CAF said the arrangement is aimed at expanding the tournament’s reach across East Africa and deepening its connection with football fans in the region. On the qualification process, CAF confirmed that the preliminary round has been completed, with the official draw for the qualifiers scheduled for 19 May 2026. “The Qualifiers will be played across the three FIFA International Windows. Matchdays 1 and 2: 21 September to 6 October 2026,” CAF said. It added, “Matchdays 3 and 4: 9 to 17 November 2026; Matchdays 5 and 6: 22 to 30 March 2027.” CAF explained that 48 teams, including the three host nations, will be drawn into 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two sides from every group qualifying for the final tournament. The football governing body also noted that the 2027 edition will return AFCON to East Africa for the first time since 1976, as it continues efforts to strengthen the competition’s commercial value, global visibility and broadcast reach.