The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reportedly contacted Morocco over a possible contingency plan for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations should Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania fail to meet the required preparations, according to French newspaper Le Monde.
The 2027 AFCON is scheduled to take place from June 19 to July 17, with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda set to make history as the first three countries to jointly host the continental tournament. CAF officially awarded the hosting rights to the East African trio in 2023.
According to Le Monde, CAF has made discreet approaches to Morocco, Algeria and South Africa, while Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire could also be considered because of their existing stadium infrastructure and experience of hosting major continental competitions.
The reported contacts come amid continuing scrutiny of preparations in the three host countries. CAF conducted an eight-day inspection mission in September before President Patrice Motsepe returned to Kenya and Tanzania for further discussions and assessments.
Motsepe has acknowledged the urgency surrounding preparations but has publicly maintained that CAF is committed to the East African hosts. Reuters reported that the CAF president expressed confidence that Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda could deliver the tournament despite challenges, while urging the countries to accelerate their preparations.
CAF has also scheduled further monitoring, with Motsepe expected to return for another inspection in January 2027. Le Monde reported that he had previously ruled out a “Plan B” or “Plan C” following his inspection tour.
Morocco would be among the most experienced potential alternatives. The North African country hosted the 2025 AFCON and is preparing to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal. However, Le Monde reported that Morocco had previously indicated it did not intend to seek another AFCON hosting assignment because of its focus on the 2030 World Cup preparations.
For now, there has been no official announcement from CAF changing the 2027 hosting arrangement. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda remain the designated hosts, while the reported contacts should be viewed as contingency discussions rather than evidence that the tournament has been relocated.
The coming months, including CAF’s planned January inspection, are therefore expected to provide a clearer indication of whether the East African hosts will remain on course to stage the 2027 tournament.
