Kenya await AFCON 2027 plan as government targets home triumph

Kenya’s government is waiting for a technical plan on how Harambee Stars can compete for the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2027. Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said the team’s target is to win the tournament when Kenya co-hosts it with Uganda and Tanzania in July next year.

The roadmap has been requested from the football technical team and is expected to outline the preparations and resources required. Mvurya said the government would commit the funding needed to give Kenya the best possible chance of succeeding in the 24-team competition.

The plan is also intended to attract financial backing from the private sector. Government officials want support for the team to be organised before the tournament, throughout the competition and afterwards. The details will be made public once the technical team has completed its work.

Kenya have appeared at the Africa Cup of Nations six times, first reaching the finals in 1972 in Cameroon. Their other appearances came in 1988, 1990, 1992, 2004 and 2019. They have never progressed beyond the group stage, making that a minimum target for the 2027 campaign even as the government sets its sights on the title.

Benni McCarthy is in charge of Harambee Stars. A home triumph would place Kenya alongside Sudan and South Africa, who won the Africa Cup of Nations while hosting it in 1970 and 1996 respectively. Both countries entered those tournaments as underdogs.

Kenya’s most recent experience of hosting a major African football event came at the African Nations Championship last August. Harambee Stars reached the quarter-finals before Madagascar eliminated them on post-match penalties. The government now wants a clearer preparation structure before Kenya takes its place among the 2027 hosts.