If you only track one African football date in 2027, make it 19 June, the day AFCON 2027 kicks off in East Africa. But that would mean missing a genuinely packed year for the continent. The calendar opens with the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana in February, moves through the U-17 tournament in Morocco and the knockout rounds of the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup, and builds to a senior AFCON final on 17 July. A third age-group event, the U-23 AFCON in Egypt, closes the year in November.
This guide covers every major event with its dates, host, format and context. We checked each detail against CAF’s own announcements or established news outlets, and we link to them as we go. Where CAF has not yet published something, such as exact dates or venues, we say so instead of guessing.
Key Takeaways
- AFCON 2027, branded PAMOJA, runs from 19 June to 17 July 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. It is the first AFCON shared by three nations and the first in East Africa since Ethiopia hosted in 1976.
- The U-20 AFCON (Ghana, February to March) and the U-17 AFCON (Morocco, April to May) both fall in the first half of 2027.
- The U-23 AFCON has been awarded to Egypt and is expected in November 2027, although CAF has not published exact dates. It doubles as qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
- The CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup 2026-27 group stages run from 27 November 2026 to 24 January 2027, with the finals window set for 9 to 31 May 2027.
- The CAF Super Cup has been promoted as a 2027 event, but it is actually played on 8 November 2026 in Tshwane, South Africa.
- CAF’s plan to move AFCON to a four-year cycle from 2028 is under review, so the long-term calendar is not settled.
The 2027 African Football Calendar at a Glance
| Tournament | Host | Dates | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAF Super Cup (2026 edition, promoted as 2027) | South Africa (Tshwane) | 8 November 2026 | Club |
| CAF Champions League 2026-27 | Various | Group stage 27 Nov 2026 to 24 Jan 2027, finals 9 to 31 May 2027 | Club |
| CAF Confederation Cup 2026-27 | Various | Same calendar as the Champions League | Club |
| AFCON 2027 qualifiers (final two rounds) | Home and away, 48 nations | 22 to 30 March 2027 | Senior |
| CAF U-20 AFCON 2027 | Ghana | February to March 2027 | Youth (U-20) |
| CAF U-17 AFCON 2027 | Morocco | April to May 2027 | Youth (U-17) |
| AFCON 2027 | Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda | 19 June to 17 July 2027 | Senior |
| CAF U-23 AFCON 2027 | Egypt | November 2027 (provisional, exact dates to be confirmed) | Youth (U-23) |
A quick note on the CAF Super Cup: CAF’s own announcement of the 2026-27 calendar refers to it as the 2027 edition, yet the match is scheduled for Sunday 8 November 2026. Worth knowing so you are not caught out looking for it in the wrong month. More on that below.
Month by Month: When to Watch
- November 2026: CAF Super Cup (8 November), AFCON qualifiers matchdays 3 and 4 (9 to 17 November), and the opening matchday of the Champions League and Confederation Cup group stages (27 to 29 November).
- December 2026 and January 2027: Group stage matchdays continue until 24 January.
- February and March 2027: U-20 AFCON in Ghana, interclub quarter-finals (26 to 28 February and 5 to 7 March), and the last two AFCON qualifying matchdays (22 to 30 March).
- April and May 2027: Interclub semi-finals (9 to 11 April and 16 to 18 April), the U-17 AFCON in Morocco, and the Champions League and Confederation Cup finals (9 to 31 May).
- 19 June to 17 July 2027: AFCON 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
- November 2027: U-23 AFCON in Egypt (provisional).
Youth Tournaments Set the Tone Early
Three age-group AFCON tournaments are on the 2027 schedule, each hosted by a different nation. They show where the next generation is coming from, and two of them act as direct gateways to bigger stages: the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the Olympic Games.
1. CAF U-20 AFCON 2027, Ghana (February to March)
CAF has confirmed that Ghana will host the TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in February and March 2027, in the same year the country celebrates 70 years of independence (CAF). It will be the second time Ghana stages the competition. The first was in 1999, when the Black Satellites won it on home soil.
The hosts arrive with real pedigree. Ghana has won the tournament four times, and its U-20 pipeline has produced names such as Michael Essien, Stephen Appiah, André Ayew and Abdul Fatawu Issahaku. Ghana also became the first African nation to win the FIFA U-20 World Cup, in 2009.
What we do not know yet: CAF has said the exact dates, host cities and stadiums will be confirmed later. Qualifying is already moving through the regional zones. The WAFU B zone, for example, held its qualifiers draw for seven member associations in Abidjan on 15 July 2026.
The last edition, in Egypt in 2025, used a 12-team format and was won by South Africa, who beat Morocco 1-0 in the final to claim their first title. CAF has not yet confirmed whether the 2027 field will keep that format.
Why it matters: the U-20 AFCON is Africa’s route into the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan will co-host in 2027. In 2025 the four semi-finalists qualified for the World Cup in Chile, and Africa is listed with four places for 2027 as well. FIFA’s Council amended the slot allocation in October 2025, so check FIFA’s pages for the final figures once CAF publishes the qualification rules.
2. CAF U-17 AFCON 2027, Morocco (April to May)
Morocco will host the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in April and May 2027. Morocco is a familiar host. It staged the 2025 edition, where the home side won its first U-17 title by beating Mali 4-2 on penalties after a goalless final. It also staged the 2026 edition, played from 13 May to 2 June, which Senegal won for the second time, beating Tanzania 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Rabat. Tanzania were playing in their first-ever U-17 AFCON final (CAF).
Both recent editions featured 16 teams, and the competition doubles as Africa’s qualifier for the expanded FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar. Africa has had 10 places at that 48-team tournament. Eight quarter-finalists qualify directly, and the final two places are decided in play-offs. CAF has not yet published the qualification rules for the 2027 edition, so treat that as the likely template rather than a confirmed rule.
It is a tournament that has produced future senior stars for country after country, so the squads named for this one are worth remembering three or four years down the line. Expect the exact dates, venues and draw to be announced closer to the tournament.
3. CAF U-23 AFCON 2027, Egypt (November, provisional)
Egypt will host the TotalEnergies CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations 2027, which CAF says will serve as Africa’s qualification tournament for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The Egyptian FA proposed a November 2027 slot, and outlets including Ghana FA, Ahram Online and Foot Africa report the finals in November 2027 (Ghana FA). Exact dates and venues have not been published.
The format is already clear. Egypt qualify automatically as hosts for an eight-team final tournament, and 42 other nations are fighting for the remaining seven places. CAF drew the qualifiers at its Cairo headquarters on 25 August 2026, with three rounds to be played between September 2026 and March 2027 (CAF release via allAfrica). In the first round, 28 teams play over two legs. The 14 winners then meet 14 teams that were exempt from the opening round, and the 14 survivors play seven two-legged ties in the third round.
The Olympic link gives this edition extra weight. The Los Angeles Games run from 14 to 30 July 2028, and Ghana FA and Ahram Online both report that Africa’s allocation of men’s football places has been cut from three to two, which would mean only the two finalists go through. Ahram attributes the cut to CAF regulations, but we have not found a CAF or FIFA statement giving the number, so treat it as reported rather than official.
There is plenty of recent history to lean on. Morocco won the 2023 edition by beating Egypt 2-1 after extra time. Egypt, who hosted the U-23 tournament in 2019 and the senior AFCON in 2006 and 2019, earned a place at the Paris 2024 Olympics from that run and reached the semi-finals.
Club Football Runs Through the Whole Year
While the international tournaments dominate headlines, African club football does not pause for any of them. The 2026-27 CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup share one official calendar, published by CAF in July 2026. Preliminary rounds began in September 2026 and the season stretches to a finals window in May 2027.
| Stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| First preliminary round | 4 to 6 September 2026 (first leg), 11 to 13 September (second leg) |
| Second preliminary round | 16 to 18 October (first leg), 23 to 25 October (second leg) |
| Group stage matchday 1 | 27 to 29 November 2026 |
| Group stage matchday 2 | 4 to 6 December |
| Group stage matchday 3 | 18 to 20 December |
| Group stage matchday 4 | 8 to 10 January 2027 |
| Group stage matchday 5 | 15 to 17 January |
| Group stage matchday 6 | 22 to 24 January |
| Quarter-finals | 26 to 28 February (first legs), 5 to 7 March (second legs) |
| Semi-finals | 9 to 11 April (first legs), 16 to 18 April (second legs) |
| Finals | 9 to 31 May 2027 (exact dates and venues to be confirmed) |
CAF Champions League 2026-27
Africa’s premier club competition started the season with 61 clubs entered, according to CAF’s draw announcement. The 16 clubs that survive the qualifying rounds are split into four groups of four and play home and away, six matches each, with the top two in every group advancing to the quarter-finals. The winner receives US$6 million, unchanged from the previous season.
Mamelodi Sundowns start as holders. They won a second Champions League title, 10 years after their first, by beating Morocco’s AS FAR 2-1 on aggregate (1-0 in Tshwane, then a 1-1 draw in Morocco). Al Ahly remain the record winners with 12 titles. For the full picture of how the competition works, read our explainer on how the CAF Champions League works.
CAF Confederation Cup 2026-27
The continent’s second-tier club competition began with 56 clubs and offers a US$4 million prize to the champion. It follows the same group-stage structure as the Champions League, with 16 clubs in four groups of four and the top two advancing. Eight top-ranked clubs skip the first preliminary round, the other 48 play 24 two-legged ties, and the 16 winners of the second preliminary round reach the group stage (CAF).
USM Alger are the holders. They beat Egypt’s Zamalek 8-7 on penalties in last season’s final after each side had won 1-0 at home, claiming a second title in the competition. Our guide to the CAF Confederation Cup explains the format side by side with the Champions League.
CAF Super Cup
The Super Cup is a single match between the previous season’s Champions League and Confederation Cup winners. This year’s meeting pairs Mamelodi Sundowns with USM Alger on Sunday 8 November 2026, kicking off at 15:00 local time (13:00 GMT) in Tshwane, South Africa (CAF). Ahram Online reports the venue as Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
The title holders are Egypt’s Pyramids FC, who beat RS Berkane of Morocco 1-0 in the previous edition. The labelling is the confusing part. CAF’s August announcement describes the match as the 2027 Super Cup, but the fixture belongs to the 2025-26 season’s winners and is played in 2026. If you are searching for it in your 2027 diary, you will not find it.
The Main Event: AFCON 2027
Everything above builds toward the tournament that gives 2027 its shape: the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027. CAF confirmed that the opening match will be played on Saturday 19 June 2027 and the final on Saturday 17 July 2027, dates approved by the FIFA Council in Vancouver (CAF). Pamoja is Swahili for “together”.
Hosts and history. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda make this the first AFCON hosted by three countries, and the first in East Africa since Ethiopia staged the tournament in 1976. CAF says the format gives the competition a chance to reach more than 400 million people in the region. As of the latest reporting, CAF has not yet said which of the three countries will stage the opening match and the final.
The field. Twenty-four national teams will compete across the three countries for almost a month.
How qualifying works. All 48 teams in the qualifiers, including the three co-hosts, were drawn into 12 groups of four at the Egyptian FA’s headquarters in Cairo on 19 May 2026. Matches are played over three FIFA windows:
- Matchdays 1 and 2: 21 September to 6 October 2026
- Matchdays 3 and 4: 9 to 17 November 2026
- Matchdays 5 and 6: 22 to 30 March 2027
In standard groups, the top two teams qualify. In any group that contains Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda, the host qualifies automatically and only one additional team goes through. A few of the groups that came out of the draw: Morocco face Gabon, Niger and Lesotho in Group A; Egypt meet Angola, Malawi and South Sudan in Group B; and Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire sit together in Group C with The Gambia and Somalia. Nigeria are in Group L with co-hosts Tanzania, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, and Algeria are in Group I with Zambia, Togo and Burundi.
Venues and readiness. CAF has not yet published a ratified list of match venues. Kenya’s flagship is the 60,000-capacity Talanta Sports International Stadium in Nairobi (officially the Raila Odinga International Stadium), with Kasarani Stadium also being prepared. Uganda’s organising committee has named Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira, Hoima City Stadium and Mandela National Stadium as its three main venues. Tanzania’s Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam was among the sites on CAF’s September inspection. Organisers say Tanzania’s stadiums are about 80 percent complete and due for handover to CAF in January, while Uganda is targeting 31 December for its infrastructure (Al Jazeera). Days later, CAF president Patrice Motsepe reaffirmed that the tournament will go ahead as planned in the three countries, despite recent reports of construction delays.
For the full story on the hosts, venues and format, read our complete guide to AFCON 2027. To follow the road there, our breakdown of the AFCON 2027 qualifying groups and fixtures, which also lists the confirmed qualifiers, is updated as qualifying plays out.
The Four-Year Cycle Question
AFCON’s schedule is in flux, which is another reason to watch 2027 closely. On 20 December 2025, Motsepe announced in Rabat that AFCON would move to a four-year cycle after the 2027 edition. A 2028 tournament would still be played, and the next ones would follow in 2032 and 2036. He paired the change with a new African Nations League, to be played annually from 2029 (WAM).
The plan was criticised almost immediately, and it is now being reconsidered. At CAF’s strategy conference in Cape Verde on 9 October 2026, Motsepe said a return to a two-year cycle is under review, while insisting that CAF does not take instructions from FIFA or UEFA (Al Jazeera). Reports since then say CAF has asked all 54 member federations to choose between the two options, with CAF’s executive committee expected to take up the question when it meets in Abidjan in November. No final decision has been announced. Until one is, the status and host of a 2028 edition remain uncertain, while AFCON 2027 itself is unaffected.
Other CAF Dates Around the Calendar
A few more CAF events sit close to the 2027 calendar, according to CAF’s August 2026 update:
- Futsal AFCON 2026: Morocco, 12 to 21 October 2026.
- Beach Soccer AFCON 2026: Senegal, November 2026.
- U-20 Women’s AFCON: Egypt is listed as host, but dates are still to be confirmed.
- A possible U-17 Women’s AFCON: CAF is studying whether it can launch the competition in 2027.
- WAFCON 2026: Played in Morocco from 26 July to 16 August 2026. Cameroon beat Malawi 3-0 in the final in Rabat to win their first title (FIFA). Read our WAFCON 2026 recap.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is AFCON 2027? The opening match is on Saturday 19 June 2027 and the final is on Saturday 17 July 2027, in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Where is the 2027 U-20 AFCON? Ghana hosts it in February and March 2027. Exact dates and venues are still to be announced.
When are the Champions League and Confederation Cup finals? CAF has reserved a window of 9 to 31 May 2027 for both finals. Exact dates and venues have not been confirmed.
Is the CAF Super Cup played in 2027? No. Despite being promoted as the 2027 edition, it is scheduled for 8 November 2026 in Tshwane, South Africa.
When is the U-23 AFCON? Egypt hosts it, and it is expected in November 2027. CAF has not yet published exact dates.
Will AFCON stay a two-year tournament? Not decided. CAF announced a four-year cycle from 2028 in December 2025, but is now reviewing it.
Bookmark this page and check back as fixtures firm up. Once AFCON 2027’s own schedule is confirmed, the AFCON hub on TuSportNews will cover every stage from the group phase to the final in Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda, wherever the trophy ends up being lifted.