President William Ruto is confident that Kenya will be ready to co-host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in 2027.
The President recently met with Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe at State House, Nairobi, where he affirmed that Motsepe expressed satisfaction with Kenya’s preparations for the tournament.
Ruto on renovations
Ruto assured that the renovation of Kasarani Stadium, Nyayo Stadium, and the construction of the Talanta Sports City Stadium were progressing well.
The President committed that both Kasarani and Nyayo Stadiums will be completed by December this year, in time for the African Nations Championship in 2025.
He noted that the Talanta Sports City Stadium will be ready by December 2025, ahead of the 2027 AFCON tournament.
“Kenya will be ready to co-host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in 2027. The preparations of our three stadia – renovation of Kasarani and Nyayo and construction of the brand new Talanta Sports City Stadium – are progressing well,” Ruto stated.
“We commit that Kasarani and Nyayo will be ready by the end of this year for African Nations Championships 2025, while Talanta Sports City Stadium will be completed by December 2025 for AFCON 2027,” he added.
Over the weekend, CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe visited Kenya to assess the country’s readiness for both the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) and the 2027 AFCON.
During his visit, Motsepe toured Moi International Sports Complex, Nyayo Stadium, and the upcoming Talanta Sports City Stadium in Nairobi. He also attended a CAF Executive Committee meeting.
A year ago, CAF’s Executive Committee (Exco) awarded the hosting rights for the 2027 AFCON to a joint bid from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, known as the East Africa (EA) Pamoja Bid.
Botswana, Senegal, and Algeria were also in the running to host the tournament, although Algeria pulled out at the last moment.
AFCON 51 years
If the tournament is successfully hosted, it will mark the first time in 51 years that AFCON has been held on East African soil, since Ethiopia hosted the event in 1976.
Furthermore, EA Pamoja will be the first AFCON to be co-hosted by three nations, following in the footsteps of previous joint-hosting arrangements between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria and Ghana.
