Uganda has assured the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that all stadiums and training facilities earmarked for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be ready by December 31, 2026, as preparations for the continental tournament gather pace. The assurance follows the conclusion of the second inspection of Uganda’s sports facilities by CAF representatives, who assessed the stadiums and training grounds expected to host matches and training sessions during the tournament.
The 2027 AFCON, also known as PAMOJA AFCON, will be jointly hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania from June 19 to July 17, 2027. Dr. Denis Mugimba, the Chairperson of the AFCON Local Organising Committee, says CAF has completed its second inspection of Uganda’s three designated stadiums—Aki-Bua Olympic Stadium, Mandela National Stadium and Hoima City Stadium. CAF officials also inspected nine of the 12 designated training grounds, including Aki-Bua Annex, Hoima Annex, Mandela Annex, Makerere University, FUFA Kadiba, Hoima Boma Grounds, Kyambogo, Pece Memorial Stadium and Gulu University.
Mugimba says the stadiums are expected to be ready by December 2026, while 10 of the 12 training facilities are also expected to be completed by then. He commended the government for releasing 100 percent of the funds required for the infrastructure developments, with a total allocation of 135.7 billion shillings. The allocation includes 13.3 billion shillings for Hoima Boma Grounds, 20.2 billion for Masindi King John, 18.6 billion for Satito Owiny, 13.3 billion for Pece Memorial Stadium, 13.3 billion each for Gulu and Lira, 5.2 billion for FUFA Kadiba, 21.9 billion for Makerere and 16.5 billion for Kyambogo.
Mugimba says works at Mandela National Stadium are progressing, with the main stadium undergoing remodelling while retaining most of its existing structures. The works are being undertaken by the UPDF Engineering Brigade and are expected to be completed on schedule. At Aki-Bua Olympic Stadium, construction is also ongoing, with the facility expected to be completed ahead of the initial January 2027 deadline.
At Hoima City Stadium, CAF identified only a few areas requiring improvement. Mugimba says the facility is about 95 percent complete, with the remaining five percent mainly involving the installation of a VVIP pedestrian bridge connecting the parking area to the VVIP lounge. He says the pedestrian bridge was not part of the original plan but was recommended by CAF during the inspection.
Mugimba has also urged Ugandans and local companies to monitor CAF’s official tenders for AFCON 2027, saying the procurement opportunities could help transfer knowledge and technology while building Uganda’s capacity to host other international tournaments. He says promotional activities for the tournament will also be coordinated jointly with CAF, since the tournament is a single continental event being hosted by three countries.
The local organising committee is working with CAF to develop the official tournament logo, theme song and mascot. Mugimba says the three host countries will not conduct separate promotions because AFCON 2027 is being presented as one tournament. On access roads to Aki-Bua Olympic Stadium, Mugimba acknowledged that government funding was not allocated to the Ministry of Works and Transport specifically for the improvement of roads leading to the stadium.
He said Mandela National Stadium and Hoima City Stadium are expected to be the main venues, with Aki-Bua serving as an alternative venue. The Ministry of Works and Transport is, however, working on access routes to both Hoima City Stadium and Mandela National Stadium as part of the preparations for the tournament-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
