Overview
- CAF president Patrice Motsepe publicly suggested an expansion to 28 teams during a Johannesburg press conference on Wednesday, a remark that attracted widespread media reporting.
- Hours later CAF issued an official clarification that the 2027 tournament will remain at 24 teams and reaffirmed the hosts, dates and qualifying timetable.
- The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is confirmed to be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and is scheduled for roughly 19 June to mid-July 2027 with qualifiers beginning in the first international window of 2026 and running through March 2027.
- CAF also announced increased prize money for the women's competition, raising the champion's payout to $2 million and boosting participation payments to $150,000 per team.
- Separately, the football federations of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have declared interest in a joint bid for CAN 2032, a plan that will require CAF scrutiny of stadium upgrades and security guarantees given ongoing violence and military rule in parts of the Sahel.