CAF President Reveals Major Plan to Ease Travel Across East Africa During AFCON 2027

Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe has revealed that discussions are underway to introduce a single visa that would allow fans, media and other stakeholders to travel seamlessly between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The 2027 tournament will mark the first time the continent’s premier football competition is co-hosted by three countries, prompting questions about how supporters and accredited personnel will move across the borders throughout the event.

Addressing those concerns, Motsepe said proposals are being explored to simplify cross-border travel, with the aim of ensuring supporters, journalists and tournament officials can move freely between the three host nations during AFCON 2027.

Speaking at a press conference in South Africa, Patrice Motsepe said CAF was in discussions with the governments of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to establish a common visa arrangement.

Motsepe explained that while the proposal has not yet been officially announced, consultations are ongoing with the relevant authorities to create a smooth and convenient travel system for everyone attending the tournament.

He stressed that the objective is to minimise border restrictions and make it easier for visitors to follow matches across the three countries.

Motsepe acknowledged that immigration policies ultimately fall under the authority of individual governments and that each country retains the right to determine who is allowed to enter its territory.

However, he said that had not stopped CAF from engaging with the host nations in search of practical solutions that would improve the tournament experience.

“I didn’t put out the press statement, but there’s discussion to allow you, when you come into one country, you can go to all three,” Patrice Motsepe said.

“The fact that we respect the sovereignty of every nation in terms of their decision of who comes in and who doesn’t come in doesn’t mean that we don’t engage with them.

“We have to, and we engaged with them intending to make it as easy as possible. I mean, when you went to Qatar, I’m told that if you showed them you had a ticket, that was your passport.”

Patrice Motsepe further commended the leaders of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania for the commitment they had shown towards ensuring the tournament is a success.

He said the heads of state had demonstrated strong political will and enthusiasm from the outset, giving CAF confidence that the three nations are fully invested in delivering a memorable competition.

Motsepe noted that hosting a tournament of AFCON’s magnitude goes beyond football, highlighting its potential to generate significant economic benefits for the host countries.

Drawing from recent experience, Motsepe pointed to the positive impact the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) had on Uganda, saying the tournament had brought an unprecedented number of visitors to the country.

While he stopped short of revealing specific measures before they are formally announced, Motsepe said the priority is to put systems in place that will enable supporters to travel between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania with minimal difficulty, allowing them to enjoy the tournament across all three host nations.

“I must say I’m very proud of those heads of state of those three countries because Madam Samia Suluhu, President Ruto and President Museveni have shown deep commitment and excitement to make sure that the AFCON is enormously successful,” Motsepe added.

“I mean, the president of football in Uganda said to me that they had never had so many people visit Uganda as what happened last year during CHAN. There’s money that’s going around that’s developing the economy.

“I can assure you, we’ve had discussions. I don’t want to conclude because we will make announcements, but the objective is to make sure that it allows our football fans to move around as quickly and as freely as possible.”