The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced June 19 to July 17, 2027 for the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), while unveiling a new visual identity and trophy for the CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations.
TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports the announcements form part of CAF’s confirmation of key dates and host countries for a busy 2026-27 continental football calendar covering senior, youth, women’s, futsal, beach soccer and club competitions.
The 2027 AFCON, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will kick off on June 19, with the final scheduled for July 17.
The tournament will be the first edition of the continent’s flagship men’s football competition to be jointly hosted by three countries.
The qualification campaign for the 2027 AFCON is scheduled to commence in September 2026, with 48 teams set to participate in the qualifying phase.
CAF’s confirmation of the dates provides certainty for national teams, players, broadcasters, sponsors and supporters as preparations intensify for the tournament.
Alongside the AFCON announcement, CAF has introduced a new visual identity and trophy for the CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations, describing the new design as a reflection of the “energy, evolution and competitive spirit” of African futsal.
The new identity is built around the speed, movement, creativity and intensity associated with futsal, while the newly designed trophy incorporates several symbols connected to the sport and the African continent.
CAF said the trophy’s diagonal lines represent the speed and movement of futsal, while five golden arches symbolise the five players on the court for each team.
Another arch at the top represents the team captain lifting a ball engraved with the African continent.
The centre of the trophy features a matt-gold map of Africa set against a shiny gold-plated background, while the reverse carries an engraved roll of honour featuring previous winners of the competition.
The Futsal Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 is scheduled for October 12 to 21, with eight countries having secured qualification: Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.
Morocco’s hosting of the futsal tournament forms part of a wider CAF calendar that will see several countries stage major continental competitions during the 2026-27 cycle.
Ghana will host the CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations in February and March 2027, while Morocco will stage the CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations in April and May.
Egypt has been selected to host the CAF Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations in 2027. The competition will also serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
CAF is also considering the introduction of a new Under-17 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, with the governing body assessing the possibility of launching the competition in 2027.
The continental body said the proposed women’s youth competition would provide another pathway for the development of young female footballers across Africa.
Meanwhile, South Africa will host the CAF Super Cup on November 8, 2026, with the match scheduled to take place in Tshwane.
The Super Cup will feature the winners of the CAF Champions League against the winners of the CAF Confederation Cup.
CAF has also scheduled the preliminary rounds of the 2026-27 Champions League and Confederation Cup for September 4-6, 2026, with the return legs to be played from September 11-13.
Senegal will host the 2026 CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations in November, adding another major tournament to the continent’s increasingly crowded football calendar.
The series of announcements reflects CAF’s push towards a more structured and predictable competitions calendar, with the governing body seeking to give member associations, players, commercial partners, broadcasters and fans greater clarity over major events.
With the 2027 AFCON dates now confirmed and a new identity unveiled for the Futsal Africa Cup of Nations, CAF is simultaneously preparing for a broad range of competitions across different categories and regions of the continent.