Kenya Submits Joint Bid With Uganda and Tanzania to Host AFCON 2027

• Kenya has expressed interest to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations
• Kenya has submitted a joint bid with East African neighbours, Uganda and Tanzania
• The last time Kenya was at the AFCON was in 2019, where they didn't make it past the group stage

Kenya has officially submitted a joint bid with fellow East African countries to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. The three countries have registered their interest with the Confederation of African Football - the governing body for continental football.

They will be up against three other bids, namely Algeria, Botswana and Egypt, for the biennial showpiece that showcases Africa's top stars.

From the onset, the two North African nations, Algeria and Egypt, have a head start when it comes to infrastructure. The former recently hosted the Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) - a competition that invites only locally based players, while Egypt hosted the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

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The joint East Africa bid will need to work on a lot of things to succeed, given that neither Uganda nor Kenya has CAF-accredited stadia at the moment. The Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar Es Salaam thus remains the only ground that can host international games.

Apart from stadia, the selection committee always looks at other factors such as hotels, transport and security during the entire duration of the tournament.

Timelines to submit bid

As BBC Sports reports, the countries have until May 23 to submit official plans before paving way for inspections in June and July. The report further states that the Botswana bid was meant to be a joint bid, but Namibia dropped out of contention.

The next AFCON will be staged in Ivory Coast next year, with the host of 2025 yet to be determined after Guinea were stripped of hosting rights due to 'unpreparedness.' Senegal are the defending champions after winning their maiden title in Cameroon last year.

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The last time Kenya participated in the continental event was in 2019, where they finished third in Group C behind eventual finalists Senegal and Algeria. Harambee Stars won't take in next year's AFCON after they were barred from the qualifiers after the country was banned by FIFA in 2021 for government interference.

Kenya vs Iran

Previously, Sports Brief reported that Kenya's international goalkeeper Patrick Matasi made some costly errors as Harambee Stars went 2-1 down to Iran in an international friendly game in Tehran on March 28th.

Michael Olunga put Kenya ahead, but the hosts fought their way back with two late goals. It was Kenya's first game since the ban imposed by FIFA in 2021 was lifted last year.

Iran showed their pedigree by settling into the game quickly, with a huge crowd at the Azadi Stadium backing the team.