AFCON 2027: Kenya Prepares to Host Africa's Biggest Football Tournament

The Africa Cup of Nations 2027 is coming home. Kenya, together with co-hosts Uganda and Tanzania, will stage the continent's biggest football tournament from June 19 to July 18, 2027. As hosts, Harambee Stars automatically qualify — and the focus now shifts to building a squad capable of making a deep run on home soil.

Head coach Benni McCarthy, the South African legend who took charge in March 2025, has been tasked with transforming Harambee Stars into genuine contenders. McCarthy replaced Engin Firat and has brought a new tactical approach, emphasising possession-based football and pressing. His experience at the highest level — as a former Porto and Blackburn Rovers striker and Manchester United first-team coach — gives Kenya a world-class tactician.

McCarthy has launched a Europe-wide scouting mission to identify eligible players of Kenyan heritage who could strengthen the squad. This diaspora recruitment drive, combined with the development of domestic talent through the FKF Premier League, gives Kenya multiple pathways to build a competitive squad. The 2027 tournament will feature 28 teams, making it the largest AFCON in history.

For Kenyan football fans, hosting AFCON is a historic moment. The last time a major tournament was hosted in the CECAFA region was Ethiopia in 1976 — half a century ago. The tournament is expected to be a catalyst for infrastructure development, with stadiums and facilities across the three host nations being upgraded to meet CAF requirements.

The road to AFCON 2027 has truly begun. With Benni McCarthy at the helm, a growing pool of talent at home and abroad, and the support of an entire nation, Harambee Stars have an opportunity to write a new chapter in Kenyan football history. The question is no longer whether Kenya will be there — it is how far they can go.