Motsepe: Postponement not an option as Kenya races to finish Afcon 2027 venues

Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe said in Kenya on Friday that postponement is not an option as the country races to complete facilities for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which opens on 19 June and has its final scheduled for 17 July.

Motsepe, who has called for a "heightened sense of urgency" from next year's co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, warned that stadiums need to be available for testing in around three months' time. "Even though we've got nine months, we need to start using those stadiums in January next year to test them and to see what further improvements are required," he told BBC Sport Africa after inspecting preparations. The tournament will return to East Africa for the first time in 51 years.

Motsepe began his inspection visit in Tanzania before touring Kenya, where he met President William Ruto and inspected two Nairobi venues: Kasarani Stadium and the newly constructed 60,000-capacity Talanta Stadium. BBC Sport Africa understands Kasarani and its corresponding training facility are among the main areas of concern highlighted during the visit.

When Caf conducted its previous inspection in mid-February local organisers were told stadiums and associated training facilities should be around 80% ready by August, but Kasarani has seen limited progress over the past seven months. Several elements remain incomplete, with the playing surface yet to be laid and additional work required on cabling for broadcast and television operations, floodlights and the stadiums' sky boxes. Kasarani is also set to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, a bid Nairobi won on Tuesday ahead of London and Rome.

Motsepe said there had been "very good progress" while acknowledging some facilities were still below the required level and stressed Caf's expectations. "We've got very high standards in terms of our expectations of the infrastructure, the facilities and the stadiums, the hotels, the roads, the football pitches where training takes place," the South African added. "We require those facilities to be world class." He also insisted: "There isn't the slightest consideration of a postponement."

Motsepe highlighted the additional demands created by hosting hundreds of VIPs and heads of state, saying some stadium designs will need reconfiguration: "Security issues in relation to where the special guests, particularly the heads of state, will be seated requires a revision of the original plans," the 64-year-old explained. He was unequivocal on the schedule, adding: "There's no plan B, there's no plan C."

Kenya's cabinet secretary for sports Salim Mvurya said preparations would be accelerated and pledged completion by December. "I assure Caf and Kenyans we will accelerate the preparations for Afcon 2027," Mvurya said. "We will conclude everything by December to be sure we can have test matches in the various facilities." He also linked hosting Afcon to Kenya's successful 2029 World Athletics Championship bid, saying: "One of the reasons why Kenya won the 2029 World Athletics Championship bid is because we are hosting Afcon. Therefore this is a legacy," and added, "As government, we are confident we will host a successful Afcon."

Recent Caf tournaments have been moved or postponed from their original dates, including this year's Women's Africa Cup of Nations, which was played in July after a planned March kick-off was postponed with 12 days' notice, and the 2024 African Nations Championship in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, which was shifted from February 2025 to August 2025 with the decision taken 18 days before the scheduled start. Two years ago Motsepe's former deputy Veron Mosengo-Omba admitted Caf faced a "scheduling nightmare" to fit its biennial tournaments into the football calendar, and some pundits say that is part of the reasoning behind the decision to play the men's Afcon every four years after 2028.

December has been set as the deadline for local organisers to finish work because Motsepe is due to return to the region for a final assessment visit in January, and the next three months are likely to be particularly crucial to meeting that timetable.