"2027" will take place during the summer.

The African Football Confederation (CAF) announced the opening and final dates for the Africa Cup of Nations 2027, which will be held in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

CAF confirmed in a statement on its official website that the tournament will take place in the summer, noting that the opening match will be held on June 19, 2027, while the final match will take place on July 17.

The African Football Confederation also mentioned that it will announce the country that will host the opening and final matches at a later date, adding that this tournament is expected to attract more than 400 million people in the eastern part of the continent.

The upcoming tournament will be the first edition held in three different countries, and the second to take place in the summer after the 2019 edition in Egypt.

It is expected that the Africa Cup of Nations will return to be held in the eastern part of the continent for the first time since the 1976 edition in Ethiopia.

CAF also clarified in its statement that the draw for the final qualifying round for the tournament will take place on May 19, following the conclusion of the preliminary round matches.

The 48 participating teams in the final qualifying round will be divided into 12 groups, each consisting of 4 teams, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the finals.

CAF stated that the six rounds of qualifiers will take place during three international periods set by FIFA, with the first and second rounds scheduled from September 21 to October 6, 2026, while the third and fourth rounds will be held from November 9 to 17, 2026.

It was also decided that the fifth and sixth rounds will take place from March 22 to 30, 2027.