The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced key dates and host countries for its major competitions in the 2026-27 season, providing a clearer roadmap for national associations, clubs, players and commercial partners across the continent.
CAF made the announcement on Monday, unveiling an increasingly structured competition calendar covering senior, youth, and club football.
The continental football governing body said the move would give its Member Associations and commercial partners greater certainty while allowing supporters to plan for major events in advance.
“The increasingly stable calendar reflects CAF’s continued commitment to strengthening its existing Competitions while developing important new properties that will create additional opportunities at the senior and youth levels,” CAF said.
AFCON 2027 dates confirmed
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will take place from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
Qualifying matches for the tournament are scheduled to begin in September 2026.
The three East African countries will host the continent’s flagship national team competition as CAF continues preparations for the tournament.
Sundowns, USM Alger to clash in Super Cup
South Africa will host the 2026 CAF Super Cup, with the match scheduled for 8 November in Tshwane.
The fixture will bring together South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns, winners of the CAF Champions League, and Algerian club USM Alger, holders of the CAF Confederation Cup.
The match is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. local time, or 1:00 p.m. GMT.
Ghana, Morocco, Egypt get youth tournaments
CAF has also allocated three major youth competitions to Ghana, Morocco and Egypt.
Ghana will host the 2027 CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations in February and March, while Morocco will stage the 2027 CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations in April and May.
Egypt will host the 2027 CAF Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations, which will double as the qualifying tournament for the football event at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
CAF said it was also examining the possibility of introducing a new Under-17 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The proposed tournament could be launched in 2027 if the necessary sporting and organizational conditions are met.
CAF said the competition would strengthen its investment in women’s football and provide another competitive pathway for young female players.
Morocco, Senegal to host futsal, beach football
Morocco will host the 2026 Futsal Africa Cup of Nations from 12 to 21 October.
Senegal, meanwhile, will host the 2026 CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations in November.
The decisions form part of CAF’s broader effort to expand its competitions beyond traditional 11-a-side football.
Champions League, Confederation Cup dates
CAF has also confirmed the opening dates for the 2026-27 continental club competitions.
The first preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup will be played between 4 and 6 September 2026, with return legs scheduled for 11 to 13 September.
CAF said the preliminary-round draws for both competitions had already been completed, giving participating clubs a clear schedule for the start of the new continental season.
The announcement comes as African clubs prepare for another campaign featuring the continent’s leading domestic champions and cup winners.
African Nations League under consideration
CAF also disclosed that discussions on the proposed African Nations League had progressed, with its Executive Committee considering the competition’s format.
The project is part of CAF’s plans to create more meaningful international fixtures while developing new commercial opportunities for African football.
CAF said the clearer calendar would help national associations plan their activities more effectively and give players more predictable competitive pathways.
It would also provide broadcasters, sponsors and supporters with greater visibility over major continental football events.
“The progress across these competitions is an important step in CAF’s objective of creating a more stable and predictable African football calendar,” the organization said.
