CAF president Patrice Motsepe has ruled out postponing or relocating the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations despite admitting that preparations need to accelerate.
Motsepe called for a “heightened sense of urgency” after inspecting facilities in host nations Tanzania and Kenya this week.
The tournament begins on June 19, 2027, with the final scheduled for July 17. It will become the first AFCON jointly hosted by three countries and the first staged in East Africa since Ethiopia hosted the competition in 1976.
However, CAF wants the tournament stadiums operational by January, which would allow organisers to stage test events and identify remaining problems around five months before kick-off.
“There isn’t the slightest consideration of a postponement,” Motsepe told BBC Sport Africa. He also rejected suggestions that CAF could move the tournament elsewhere, insisting there would be “no Plan B” or “Plan C”.
Kenya appears to face some of the most immediate infrastructure issues. Motsepe inspected Nairobi’s new 60,000-capacity Talanta Stadium and the Moi International Sports Centre at Kasarani during his visit on Friday.
BBC Sport Africa reported that Kasarani and its associated training facility remain among CAF’s main concerns.
CAF officials told organisers during an inspection in February that stadiums and training facilities should reach roughly 80% completion by August. However, progress at Kasarani has remained limited in several areas.
The stadium’s playing surface has yet to be installed, while work also remains on broadcast cabling, floodlights and hospitality areas, and CAF has requested changes to plans surrounding seating and security arrangements for heads of state and other VIPs.
CAF and the three governments had already established a joint oversight committee in May.
That agreement identified August as a major deadline for stadium development, venue confirmation, transport planning, security and other tournament operations.
Concerns over the timetable carry additional weight because the same three countries have already faced a CAF postponement. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda were due to host the African Nations Championship in February 2025.
CAF postponed the competition just 18 days before its scheduled start after infrastructure experts concluded that stadiums and other facilities required more time. The tournament eventually took place in August 2025.
Other recent CAF tournaments have also moved from their original dates, adding scrutiny to Motsepe’s insistence that AFCON 2027 will proceed as scheduled.
CAF nevertheless maintains that the three governments remain committed to completing the required stadiums, training facilities, accommodation, transport and operational infrastructure.
The AFCON qualification campaign begins this month, with 48 nations competing for 21 available places alongside the three automatically qualified hosts.
Egypt open Group B against Angola at Cairo International Stadium on September 25 before travelling to face South Sudan four days later.