Speaking on Friday, at a CAF meeting held in Tanzania, Motsepe stressed he has great confidence in the football federations of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda in the preparations to co-host the 2027 edition.
Motsepe further said he has no doubt 2027 AFCON will be among the most unique and best tournaments ever held in Africa, explaining that cooperation and solidarity of the respective countries are key pillars of such success.
AFCON will be staged in East Africa
“I know AFCON will be staged here, so I don’t want to hear that question again of whether AFCON will be played in East Africa or it will be taken away,” Motsepe told the media in Tanzania before commencing his press briefing.
“We have done a lot to have AFCON held in East Africa, and our commitment remains to have AFCON in East Africa. I know there will be a lot of news in the coming weeks about AFCON status, let us leave that behind us, and stay focused because we know AFCON will be held here (in East Africa).
“We understand there may be several challenges, but it is important that we trust each other and support each other as Africans, because it is possible.
“I am enormously confident we will succeed in hosting 2027 AFCON in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.”
Motsepe added: “I am very happy with how the Heads of States from the three nations are committed to make AFCON a success. I want to thank President Samia Suluhu of Tanzania, I want to thank President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, for the commitment to make AFCON an immense success.
“I also want to thank Kenya Head of State President Ruto. He recently posted a selfie-video of him saying Kenya is ready to host AFCON. CAF does not take their commitment for granted.”
‘It is going to be enormous’
Motsepe explained that East Africa will not be able to achieve the same great success as other regions if it is excluded from hosting and participating in major tournaments in Africa like AFCON.
He concluded: “I am enormously confident we will succeed in hosting the 2027 AFCON in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. We will be successful next year. We have to believe in ourselves as Africa, we have to believe we can host a successful AFCON in our three countries.”
“It is going to be enormous. I came here to reaffirm my confidence and believe East Africa will stage the best AFCON ever.”
On whether Kenya's upcoming elections in 2027 will affect AFCON, Motsepe responded: “I don’t think so. We will have our tournament before the elections. I know that is how the schedule is, and we don't have to worry.”
This is the second time in less than a month that Motsepe is backing East Africa to host the AFCON. At the sidelines of the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, Motsepe made it clear the three nations will not be deprived of the opportunity to host the tournament.
“I have a responsibility to promote African football… I believe 2027 AFCON will be successful for Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and we will not deprive them of the opportunity to host (the competition),” he said.
This edition of AFCON remains the first to be hosted by three countries, and the first in five decades to be organised in the CECAFA region, since it was hosted by Ethiopia in 1976.
The 2027 edition will be part of AFCON’s 70th anniversary, and will be the last one to be held in odd-numbered years, as CAF announced in December 2025 that AFCON would become a quadrennial tournament from 2028 onwards.
