If you only track one African football date in 2027, make it 19 June. But that would mean missing a genuinely packed year for the continent, one that runs from youth tournaments in February right through to a senior AFCON final in July, with club football weaving through most of it. Here is everything worth putting in your calendar.
Key Takeaways
- AFCON 2027, co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, is the headline event of the year, running 19 June to 17 July.
- Three CAF youth tournaments, the U-20, U-17 and U-23 AFCON, all fall in the first half of 2027, giving a preview of Africa’s next generation before the senior tournament kicks off.
- The CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup 2026-27 seasons run straight through the year, with finals landing in May 2027.
- The CAF Super Cup, despite carrying a 2027 name, is actually played on 8 November 2026, since CAF names the fixture by season rather than calendar year.
- 2027 is the last year before AFCON shifts permanently to a four-year cycle, making this calendar the final one of its kind.
The 2027 African Football Calendar at a Glance
| Tournament | Host | Dates | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| CAF Champions League 2026-27 (knockouts through final) | Various, final TBC | Through May 2027 | Club |
| CAF Confederation Cup 2026-27 (knockouts through final) | Various, final TBC | Through May 2027 | Club |
| CAF U-23 AFCON 2027 | Egypt | Dates to be confirmed | Youth (U-23) |
| AFCON 2027 | Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda | 19 June to 17 July 2027 | Senior |
A quick note on the CAF Super Cup: it is officially the “2027” edition by CAF’s own naming convention, but it is actually played on 8 November 2026 in South Africa, ahead of the calendar year it is named for. Worth knowing so you are not caught out looking for it in the wrong month.
Youth Tournaments Set the Tone Early
Three separate age-group AFCON tournaments play out across the first five months of 2027, each hosted by a different nation.
1. CAF U-20 AFCON 2027, Ghana
Ghana hosts the continent’s under-20 championship in February and March 2027. Beyond the trophy itself, this tournament doubles as a qualifying pathway toward the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which makes it genuinely competitive rather than a dead rubber for the nations involved.
2. CAF U-17 AFCON 2027, Morocco
Morocco, fresh off hosting WAFCON 2026, takes on under-17 duties in April and May 2027. 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.
3. CAF U-23 AFCON 2027, Egypt
Egypt hosts the under-23 tournament, though exact dates were still being finalised as of this writing. The U-23 age bracket is closely tied to Olympic football eligibility, giving this edition an extra layer of stakes for nations chasing a spot at the next Olympic Games.
Club Football Runs Through the Whole Year
While the international tournaments above dominate headlines, African club football does not pause for any of them. The CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup both run their 2026-27 seasons deep into 2027, with group stage matches continuing into January before knockout rounds carry through to finals in May.
Both competitions are worth understanding on their own terms if you want the full picture of African club football’s biggest prizes. Our explainers cover how the CAF Champions League works, Africa’s premier club competition, and its second-tier companion, the CAF Confederation Cup, side by side.
The Main Event: AFCON 2027
Everything above builds toward the tournament that gives 2027 its shape: AFCON 2027, running from 19 June to 17 July across ten venues in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. It is the first AFCON ever shared by three host nations, and the qualifying campaign deciding who joins the hosts is still being played out as of this writing.
For the full story on the hosts, venues and format, read our complete guide to AFCON 2027. If you want to follow the road there, our breakdown of the AFCON 2027 qualifying groups and fixtures and our running list of confirmed qualifiers are both updated as qualifying plays out.
The Last Calendar of Its Kind
There is a reason to pay closer attention to 2027 than a typical AFCON year deserves. This is the final tournament played under the old two-year cycle before AFCON moves to a four-year rhythm from 2028 onward, which means this exact shape of calendar, senior tournament, youth pathway events and club competitions all compressed into one year, will not repeat again for the foreseeable future.
Bookmark this page and check back as fixtures firm up, and once AFCON 2027’s own schedule is confirmed, look out for match-by-match predictions on TuSportNews covering every stage from the group phase to the final in Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda, wherever the trophy ends up being lifted.