President Museveni has assured the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that Uganda remains committed to completing preparations to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) alongside Kenya and Tanzania.
The assurance was made on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, during a meeting at State House with CAF Secretary General Samson Adamu, CAF Country Infrastructure Manager Bianca Wambui and a technical team assessing Uganda’s preparedness for the continental tournament.
The CAF delegation briefed the President on its observations following inspections of stadiums, training facilities and other infrastructure required for the tournament, scheduled for June 2027.
Wambui commended the progress made so far, particularly in the development of stadiums and training grounds.
“I would like to commend the efforts that have been put in so far, especially in terms of the stadiums and training grounds. The progress is commendable,” she said.
Museveni said the Government would address the outstanding requirements and ensure the country is adequately prepared to host its share of the tournament.
He cited Uganda’s experience hosting the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in 2024, which brought together representatives from about 150 countries, as evidence of the country’s capacity to host major international events.
“We hosted NAM here, which comprised 150 countries, and we were able to deal with them. The Kampala area has the facilities, but now the challenge is upcountry, which we are now going to concentrate on,” Museveni said.
He added that the Government would take the necessary measures to address the remaining gaps.
“I will unlock whatever needs to be unlocked, and I’m very sure the AFCON people will be very happy when they come here,” he said.
CAF pushes for single visa arrangement
The CAF Secretary General also called for the fast-tracking of a single visa arrangement covering Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to facilitate the movement of football fans, teams and other tournament delegates during AFCON 2027.
The proposed arrangement is intended to ease cross-border travel between the three host countries during the tournament.
Museveni said he would engage his counterparts in Kenya and Tanzania on the matter, noting that discussions on the initiative had already begun.
“I have got all my orders, and I’m going to implement them,” he said.
Separately, Museveni met the National AFCON Task Force, led by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, for an update on Uganda’s preparations to host the tournament under the Pamoja arrangement.
The task force briefed the President on activities being undertaken by Government ministries, departments and agencies involved in preparations for AFCON 2027.
The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Sports Peter Ogwang, Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) president Moses Magogo and other Government officials.
AFCON 2027 will be jointly hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania under the Pamoja arrangement, bringing the continent’s premier national football tournament to East Africa.
