With just a few years until the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, East Africa is on the clock to enhance its infrastructure and organisation skills ahead of the prestigious tournament. The Uganda Local Organising Committee (LOC) has outlined essential areas needing immediate improvement to ensure a smooth and successful event.
Following Morocco’s successful hosting of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, the spotlight now shifts towards East Africa, where Uganda will co-host the upcoming tournament alongside Kenya and Tanzania.
However, the lofty standards set by Morocco have raised concerns about whether the East African trio can measure up. Ivorian journalist Mamadou Gaye has voiced particular worries regarding transport logistics within the region, a crucial aspect for accommodating the influx of fans and teams.
Despite assurances from Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe that the tournament will indeed take place in East Africa, significant challenges remain. Notably, the host nations are still in the process of completing the necessary stadiums.
Uganda plans to utilize the Mandela National Stadium (Namboole) and the still-under-construction Hoima Stadium. Concerns are also mounting over the adequacy of transport systems and accommodation options for visitors.
Addressing Key Challenges
Beyond these larger issues, Decolas Kizza, Operations Manager for the Uganda AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee, emphasized the importance of refining smaller yet critical details to avoid operational disruptions. He stated, “Morocco has had an accreditation system different from the others and I am sure the accreditation methodologies that we used for CHAN 2024 will have to be slightly different,” during a conversation with journalist Clive Kyazze.
Kizza also highlighted significant lessons to be learned from Morocco’s approach, noting, “They also have a safety and management system, the infrastructure and level of cleanliness and sanitation is higher than every other AFCON, and these are very big lessons.”
As Uganda and its East African partners prepare for AFCON 2027, the emphasis on meticulously addressing both major and minor concerns underscores the urgency of their preparations. Any oversight could jeopardize what is poised to be a landmark event for the region.
