Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Patrice Motsepe has urged Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to accelerate preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, warning that time is running short before stadiums must be tested early next year.
The tournament marks the return of Afcon to East Africa for the first time in 51 years, with the opening fixture set for 19 June and the final on 17 July. Motsepe made his comments after touring venues in Kenya on Friday, following an earlier stop in Tanzania as part of his continent-wide inspection tour.
While roughly nine months remain before the tournament kicks off, Motsepe stressed that stadiums need to be operational for testing purposes by January. "Even though we've got nine months, we need to start using those stadiums in January next year to test them and to see what further improvements are required," he told BBC Sport Africa.
During his visit to Nairobi, Motsepe inspected the Kasarani Stadium and the newly built 60,000-capacity Talanta Stadium. He described overall progress as encouraging but acknowledged that certain facilities remain below the standard required for a tournament of Afcon's stature. "We've got very high standards in terms of our expectations of the infrastructure, the facilities and the stadiums, the hotels, the roads, the football pitches where training takes place," he said, adding that all these elements "require to be world class."
Kasarani has emerged as a particular concern. According to BBC Sport Africa, Caf's February inspection set a target for stadiums and training facilities to be roughly 80% complete by August, but progress at Kasarani has stalled since then. The playing surface still needs to be laid, while work remains outstanding on broadcast cabling, floodlighting, and the stadium's VIP boxes. The venue is also set to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, a bid Nairobi secured this week ahead of rival bids from London and Rome.
Motsepe also flagged logistical complications tied to hosting heads of state and other high-profile guests during the tournament, noting that security considerations will force organizers to revise some original stadium layouts. "Security issues in relation to where the special guests, particularly the heads of state, will be seated requires a revision of the original plans," he explained.
Despite the challenges, the Caf president firmly ruled out any possibility of delaying the tournament. "There isn't the slightest consideration of a postponement," he said. "There should be no need because there's a deep amount of commitment... There's no plan B, there's no plan C."
Kenya's cabinet secretary for sports, Salim Mvurya, sought to reassure both Caf officials and the Kenyan public that the country would meet its deadlines. "I assure Caf and Kenyans we will accelerate the preparations for Afcon 2027," Mvurya said, adding that all necessary work would be finished by December so that test matches could be held across the various venues.
Mvurya framed the tournament as part of a broader national strategy, linking it directly to Kenya's successful bid for the 2029 World Athletics Championships. "One of the reasons why Kenya won the 2029 World Athletics Championship bid is because we are hosting Afcon. Therefore this is a legacy," he said. He further emphasized the economic stakes involved, stating, "Sport is not just entertainment, it is livelihood, it is economic transformation... we are aware the opportunity to host Afcon will be key for our economic inspiration. Our tourism will be a big beneficiary."
With the clock ticking toward the January testing deadline, the coming months will prove decisive in determining whether Kenya, alongside co-hosts Tanzania and Uganda, can deliver the infrastructure required for a tournament organizers insist will go ahead as scheduled.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Africa.