AFCON 2027 Kenya: Dates, Stadiums, Tickets and Trip Planning
Africa's biggest football tournament returns to East Africa in 2027 for the first time since Ethiopia hosted in 1976, and for the first time in its history it will be shared across three countries. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda co-host under the Pamoja banner, with the finals running from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
In late October 2026, Kenya's Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya unveiled the standing committee of the local organising committee, chaired by Nicholas Musonye and responsible for stadium renovation, infrastructure, operational planning and logistics. That is the administrative layer. The travel layer matters more if you are holding a passport and a budget: a 29-day window in which East Africa becomes the centre of African football, and a set of decisions that are best made before the draw in March 2027.
When AFCON 2027 Is and What Is Confirmed
The dates are locked
The Confederation of African Football confirmed the opening fixture for Saturday 19 June 2027 and the final for Saturday 17 July 2027, with the dates approved by the FIFA Council in Vancouver. This is the 36th edition of the tournament and the first to be jointly hosted by three nations. Twenty-four teams will compete, with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda qualified automatically as hosts. Regional organisers expect more than 1.5 million fans across the three countries and a broadcast reach of over 400 million people in East Africa.
What CAF has not confirmed
CAF has not yet announced which country stages the opening match or the final. It has not published the final venue list, the match-by-match allocation, or the official ticket prices and sales dates. The final draw is planned for March 2027, and that is the moment the calendar becomes genuinely bookable.
This matters practically. Anyone who tells you in 2026 that the final will be in Nairobi, or that a specific group match is at Kasarani on a specific date, is guessing. Plan around uncertainty rather than pretending it does not exist.
How to work with the uncertainty
Book accommodation that can be cancelled, and book it in Nairobi. The capital holds Kenya's confirmed primary venues and the deepest hotel stock in the country, so it is the lowest-risk base regardless of how the allocation falls. Hold off on non-refundable flights until the draw, then move fast, because fares and room rates will react within days once marquee fixtures get a city.
Where Matches Will Be Played and Where to Base Yourself
Nairobi is the practical anchor
Kenya has selected two primary match venues, both in the capital. Talanta Sports City, formally the Raila Odinga International Stadium at Jamhuri Grounds on Ngong Road, is planned at around 60,000 seats and was reported in May 2026 to be 91 per cent complete, with the government targeting completion by the end of July. The Moi International Sports Centre at Kasarani, listed at roughly 48,000 seats, is the second. Nyayo National Stadium, closer to the city centre, is designated as the alternative ground.
Earlier bid documents also floated Eldoret's Kipchoge Keino Stadium and Kakamega's Bukhungu Stadium, and CAF's inspection teams have reviewed training facilities and supporting infrastructure in Nairobi. Until the venue list is published, treat Nairobi as the only near-certain host city in Kenya.
Choosing a neighbourhood
The governing factor is traffic, not distance. Kasarani sits roughly 15 km northeast of the central business district and Talanta lies west along Ngong Road, but a 15 km drive in Nairobi can take 25 minutes at dawn and 90 minutes at 6pm.
For Kasarani matches, look at Roysambu, Kasarani itself, Ridgeways, Garden Estate or Westlands, and leave a two-hour buffer on match days. For Talanta, Kilimani, Kileleshwa, Lavington and Karen keep you on the right side of the city. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is about 20 km southeast of the centre, so an airport hotel is convenient for a single overnight but painful as a tournament base. Expect rates near either stadium to climb sharply on match nights, and consider staying a suburb or two away to trade a longer drive for a lower rate.
The wider host map
Uganda's venues include the Mandela National Stadium at Namboole in Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, the completed Hoima City Stadium and Akii Bua Stadium in Lira. Tanzania is upgrading the 60,000-seat Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam and building the Samia Suluhu Hassan Stadium in Arusha, with further projects in Dodoma and Zanzibar. Across the three countries roughly ten cities were originally proposed, three each in Kenya and Uganda and four in Tanzania.
If you want to follow matches across borders, the hops between Nairobi, Kampala, Dar es Salaam and Arusha are short flights of under two hours, plus long road crossings that eat a full day. Two host cities is realistic on a two-week trip. Three is not.
Entry Rules, Tickets and Costs
The Kenya eTA
Kenya replaced sticker visas with an Electronic Travel Authorisation in January 2024, and it is now the standard entry route for most international visitors. Apply only on the official government portal at etakenya.go.ke. The government fee is US$30, with card and processing charges pushing the total slightly higher; third-party sites charge considerably more for the same application. Standard processing is three working days and the authority advises applying well ahead rather than relying on last-minute handling, because airlines can refuse boarding without an approved eTA. Approved authorisations support stays of up to 90 days, and an expedited option exists for a fee.
Yellow fever and health
Kenya requires a yellow fever certificate only from travellers arriving from, or who have transited more than 12 hours through, a country with yellow fever transmission risk. Fly directly from Europe, the UK, the US or Australia and you will not be asked for one. Add a multi-country African routing and you will. The certificate becomes valid ten days after vaccination, so if there is any doubt about your route, get the jab at least ten days before departure. Malaria is not a Nairobi problem but is a genuine one on the coast and in the safari areas, so a travel clinic conversation about antimalarials is worth the appointment.
The joint visa question
A single East African visa covering all three host countries for the duration of the tournament has been proposed and publicly endorsed by Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, with the East African Community Council of Ministers working on the framework. Reports describe free movement of up to four months for fans, officials and teams. It is not operational yet. Do not build a budget around it; check the status closer to the tournament and hold a Kenyan eTA application as your fallback.
Tickets
As of the most recent reporting, CAF has not opened ticket sales and has not published prices. Sales will run through CAF's own channels and authorised partners, likely in phases tied to the draw and the schedule. Anything being sold now on a website, a WhatsApp group or a social account is a scam. Register on cafonline.com for announcements and treat the first official sale window as the only safe entry point.
What a trip actually costs
Nairobi's hotel market splits into three bands, and tournament demand will compress all of them upward: guesthouses and serviced apartments in mid-ring suburbs, mid-range business hotels, and international-standard properties. Budget generously above normal 2026 rates, especially for the opening weekend and any knockout match.
Air access is straightforward. JKIA is East Africa's principal hub with more than 50 destinations, nonstop links to London, Amsterdam, Paris, Doha, Dubai and Istanbul among others, and carriers including Kenya Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, KLM, British Airways and Air France. For a safari extension, mid-range operators commonly quote in the region of US$250 to US$400 per person per day once park fees, vehicle, guide and full-board tented accommodation are included.
How to Build a Trip Around the Tournament
The booking order that works
Fix your travel window first, ideally spanning a group-stage block plus one knockout round. Secure cancellable Nairobi accommodation next. Then watch fares and wait for the draw before committing to long-haul flights. Buy tickets the moment CAF opens sales. Apply for the eTA four to six weeks out. Book safari or coast add-ons with an operator early, because July is peak season in the Mara regardless of football.
A workable twelve-day shape
Land in Nairobi, take two quiet days to adjust and see the city, then attend a group-stage match. Use the gap between fixtures for a four-day Masai Mara safari, returning to the capital for a knockout match. Close with three nights on the coast at Diani or Watamu if you want a genuine reset before flying home. Non-match days are what make this trip worth the airfare; cramming six fixtures into ten days produces exhaustion rather than memories.
Timing, climate and the migration
June and July are the cool dry season in Nairobi. Daytime temperatures sit in the low-to-mid twenties Celsius and nights drop to around 11 to 13 degrees, so evening kick-offs need a jacket. The long rains usually end in late May or early June, which makes the tournament window comfortable in the stadium and reliable for game drives. The coast runs hotter and more humid, in the high twenties. Crucially, wildebeest herds typically begin entering the Masai Mara in July with the peak arriving in August and September, so the final week of the tournament overlaps with the opening of migration season.
Match-day practicalities
Pre-book return transport and agree a pickup point away from the stadium gates, because road closures and surge pricing are likely around venues. Arrive early enough to clear security without a sprint. Carry minimal valuables, use app-based or hotel-arranged cars after dark, and keep the same standard city precautions you would apply in any capital. Set a meeting point with your group before entering the ground, since mobile networks struggle under a full stadium.
If you are building this trip with a group and want local ground handling, safari logistics and match-day transfers arranged together, you can submit your requirements through FindTourGuide and compare itineraries and quotes from local operators.
The honest verdict
AFCON 2027 is worth planning for now, but not worth locking down completely. The dates are fixed and the host cities are broadly known, which is enough to reserve accommodation and start shaping an itinerary. The venue allocation, the draw and the tickets arrive in stages through early 2027. Build a plan with removable parts, and the uncertainty stops being a problem and becomes an advantage over fans who wait.
