The Confederation of African Football has dismissed reports suggesting a change to the format of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, confirming that the tournament will retain its 24-team structure.
CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe clarified during Wednesday’s press conference, where he confirmed that the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 will feature 24 national teams.
In a post on its X handle on Thursday, CAF was quoted as saying, “At Wednesday’s press conference, CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe confirmed that the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations in 2027 will have 24 National Teams. Media reports suggesting otherwise is untrue. The AFCON 2027 will be played in June-July 2027 and the Qualifiers will start in September/ October 2026.”
CAF said media reports indicating otherwise were inaccurate, stressing that no decision had been taken to alter the number of participating teams.
The 2027 AFCON tournament is scheduled to take place in June and July 2027, while the qualification process will begin in September/October 202,6.
The tournament will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with preparations continuing ahead of the competition.
CAF’s confirmation puts to rest speculation over a possible change to the tournament structure as African national teams prepare for the qualification campaign.
