AFCON 2027: format, expansion and what is still open
The 2027 finals expand from 24 teams to 28, the first edition hosted by three countries. Much of the detail — venues, qualification mechanism, opening match — is still undecided.
The expansion to 28 teams
CAF announced on July 22, 2026 that the finals grow to 28 teams in 7 groups of four. The qualification mechanism that follows has not been published, which means the old arithmetic — two from each group, one from each host group — no longer holds and nothing has replaced it.
Past winners among the entrants
| Teams | AFCON titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 7 | 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010 |
| Cameroon | 5 | 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017 |
| Ghana | 4 | 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982 |
| Ivory Coast | 3 | 1992, 2015, 2023 |
| Nigeria | 3 | 1980, 1994, 2013 |
| Algeria | 2 | 1990, 2019 |
| DR Congo | 2 | 1968, 1974 |
| Morocco | 2 | 1976, 2025 |
| Congo | 1 | 1972 |
| Ethiopia | 1 | 1962 |
| Senegal | 1 | 2021 |
| South Africa | 1 | 1996 |
| Sudan | 1 | 1970 |
| Tunisia | 1 | 2004 |
| Zambia | 1 | 2012 |
Only nations entered in the 2027 qualifying draw are listed.
What is still undecided
- There is no final list of venues ratified by CAF. Every ground published anywhere has the status of a government proposal.
- The city and stadium for the opening match have not been named. CAF said on 2 May 2026 that it would announce the host country in due course.
- The city and stadium for the final have not been named.
- The role of Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar, match venue or training base, has been awaiting a government decision since February 2026.
- The next major CAF inspection is set for August 2026 and requires at least 80 per cent completion.
- All competition venues are required to be finished by December 2026, with full operational readiness by January 2027.
- How the expansion to 28 teams, announced on 22 July 2026, affects the number of venues required has not been explained.