CAF has reportedly contacted potential replacement hosts for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations after a CAF inspection raised concerns about infrastructure progress across co-hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Morocco, South Africa, and Algeria have been approached as contingency options, French outlet Le Monde reported. CAF president Patrice Motsepe said no decision had been made to relocate the tournament.

Why Is CAF Exploring Backup Options for AFCON 2027?

CAF carried out an eight-day inspection across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in August and September, assessing stadiums, training grounds, hotels, airports and other tournament infrastructure.

The delegation visited Kenya's newly built 60,000-capacity Talanta Stadium, Uganda's Mandela National Stadium and Tanzania's Benjamin Mkapa Stadium. It identified unfinished stadium work, insufficient accommodation, and wider logistical gaps.

CAF and the three host nations agreed on an accelerated delivery roadmap in April, setting August as a checkpoint to review progress. The inspection was part of that review process. Despite the concerns raised, CAF has made no formal announcement that the tournament will move.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania remain the officially confirmed hosts, and CAF's own communications, including a one-year countdown announcement, continue to present the three nations as the hosts.

Why Does Patrice Motsepe Say There Is No Plan B for AFCON 2027?

Motsepe rejected suggestions that CAF is preparing to remove the three countries as hosts. "There is no Plan B, there is no Plan C, there never will be a Plan B, there never will be a Plan C," he said during a visit to the region.

Motsepe has previously pointed to Cameroon's experience as an example of a host overcoming concerns about its preparations.

Speaking at a press conference in Dar es Salaam, he said he had "once been told that Cameroon was not ready to host AFCON" before the country went on to stage the tournament.

Motsepe has acknowledged that Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania still have significant work to complete before the tournament. Reuters reported that he expressed confidence in the three countries while acknowledging the remaining challenges.

Uganda's Local Organising Committee said, after the latest inspection, that preparations were entering a critical phase and that the country remained committed to delivering its share of the tournament. Kenyan authorities have expressed a similar view, saying work is progressing.

What Could Put AFCON 2027 Hosting Rights at Risk?

CAF has changed the host of AFCON on several occasions in recent editions, including Libya to South Africa in 2013, Morocco to Equatorial Guinea in 2015 and Guinea to Morocco for the 2025 tournament.

Kenya has previously lost hosting rights. The country lost the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2018 African Nations Championship in both cases because it failed to complete the required facilities on time.

Kenya was required to pay a hosting fee of roughly $30 million by a CAF deadline at the end of March, while Tanzania and Uganda had already settled their payments. The Kenyan government confirmed the payment shortly before the deadline.

Talanta Stadium has been identified as the proposed venue for the tournament final. The 2027 tournament, scheduled to run from 19 June to 17 July, would mark AFCON's first return to East Africa since 1976 and the first time three nations have jointly hosted the competition.

The three countries also co-hosted the African Nations Championship in 2024, but AFCON will require more stadiums and infrastructure across the three nations.

CAF is expected to continue monitoring the three countries' progress in the coming months before making any further decisions on the tournament's location.