Kenya is gaining confidence ahead of AFCON 2027 as strong preparations and lessons from recent tournaments position it to co-host the historic continental event.
Kenya is set to co-host the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations tournament, dubbed ‘Pamoja 2027,’ alongside East African neighbours Tanzania and Uganda.
This will be the first time three nations have jointly hosted the event, mirroring the collaborative model used for the recent CHAN tournament.
A Crucial Learning Experience
The CHAN tournament served as a vital test, providing Kenya with invaluable insights into the demands of staging a major international competition.
From security and transport to hospitality and fan engagement, the event was a comprehensive learning ground, building a solid foundation for the challenges of 2027.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Hussein Mohammed stated that the successful tournament demonstrated East Africa’s capability and set a new benchmark for future events.
“CHAN taught us what works and what needs improvement,” Mohammed told CAF. “It exposed us to the demands of hosting a continental event and showed us that Kenya can deliver when all stakeholders pull in the same direction.”
While celebrating the achievement, the FKF boss cautioned that AFCON is on a completely different scale and urged all involved to appreciate the magnitude of the task ahead.
Valuable Lessons for a Bigger Stage
Nicholas Musonye, the seasoned football administrator who chaired the Local Organising Committee (LOC), described CHAN as a “blessing in disguise.”
He believes CAF’s decision to award the tournament to the region ahead of AFCON was a strategic move to gauge its preparedness.
“CHAN gave us a real-life examination,” Musonye explained. “You can prepare on paper for years, but nothing compares to handling thousands of fans, media, teams, and officials in a live tournament environment. The beauty of CHAN is that it exposed our weaknesses before AFCON. Now we know where to improve.”
Musonye highlighted crowd management, ticketing systems, and security operations as key areas where significant lessons were learned.
While the success of CHAN is a significant milestone, the work is far from over. The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) presents a much larger challenge, involving more teams, bigger crowds, heightened media attention, and greater operational demands.
However, for the first time in years, Kenya is approaching a major continental hosting duty with valuable experience rather than uncertainty. CHAN served as a crucial test for the country’s infrastructure, its people, and its organisational systems.
As the countdown to the 2027 AFCON continues, the lessons learned from CHAN deliver a clear message: hosting Africa’s premier football festival is no longer just an ambitious dream for Kenya, but an achievable reality.
“I believe with the experience we picked, AFCON 2027 will be memorable not just in Kenya, but in Uganda and Tanzania as well,” concluded FKF President Mohammed. “East Africa will leave a mark.”
