CAF confirms AFCON expansion to 28 teams from 2027 edition

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will expand from 24 to 28 teams beginning with the 2027 tournament.

CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe announced the decision on Wednesday during a media briefing in Johannesburg, revealing that the expanded format is part of the continent’s continued efforts to grow Africa’s biggest football competition.

The 2027 edition of the AFCON, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, will mark the first time the tournament will feature 28 participating nations.

Under the new structure, the teams will be divided into seven groups of four during the group stage. The top two teams from each group will automatically advance to the Round of 16, while the remaining two spots will be taken by the two best-performing third-placed teams.

The revised format means a total of 16 teams will progress to the knockout phase, maintaining the Round of 16 stage introduced when CAF expanded the competition from 16 to 24 teams in 2019.

Motsepe explained that the expansion reflects CAF’s ambition to provide more opportunities for national teams across the continent while increasing the competitiveness and global appeal of the AFCON.

The 2027 tournament will be the first AFCON hosted in East Africa, with Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania set to stage the competition as part of the “Pamoja” hosting project.

The move to increase the number of participating teams follows Africa’s growing football development and the improved performances of several nations in recent international competitions.

CAF is expected to provide further details on qualification procedures and other operational aspects of the expanded tournament in due course.

Meanwhile, the qualifiers for the 2027 AFCON are slated for later this year.