David GOMBE
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe has maintained that the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be hosted in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
He also made a surprise announcement at a press conference on Sunday that starting with the 2027 edition the tournament will be expanded from 24 teams to 28 following an executive committee meeting.
The CAF boss however did not explain how the format will work with four extra teams, nor when it would be implemented.
The last four Cup of Nations finals have all had 24 participants, increased from 16 in 2019.
Motsepe insisted the 2027 finals would go ahead as planned in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
There is to be another Cup of Nations tournament in 2028, after which the continent’s showpiece event will be held every four years.
CAF is to introduce a Nations League annually from 2029 with a 16-team final tournament held every two years, he added.
“We have to stop this thing of African fixtures not being predictable, consistent and reliable. We must develop football in East Africa, which is an area of much potential,” Motsepe said.
The development comes after the CAF inspection report done in February this year showed that the three East African countries were not ready to host the continental showpiece.
In Uganda, the Mandela national Stadium (Namboole Stadium) was cited as behind schedule in upgrades while Hoima City Stadium has several deficiencies despite being a newly-built facility while there are concerns over the lack of high-end hotels in Bunyoro region where the stadium is located.