Johannesburg, South Africa – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has resolved the controversy raised over the past hours regarding the possibility of increasing the number of teams participating in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, confirming that the tournament will continue under the current system.
The CAF clarification came after media reports circulated indicating that the president of the African Football Confederation, Patrice Motsepe, had announced an increase in the number of participating teams in the next edition of the tournament to 28, instead of 24.
CAF confirmed in an official statement that Motsepe’s remarks had been misinterpreted, stressing that the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be held with 24 teams participating, without any change to the competition system.
The statement added that the news that spoke of adopting an increase in the number of teams to 28 is baseless, calling for reliance on official statements issued by the federation regarding decisions related to the tournament.
Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania are scheduled to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place during June and July, while the qualifying rounds for the tournament will begin during September and October 2026.
