President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has assured the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that Uganda will address outstanding requirements ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which the country will co-host with Kenya and Tanzania.
Museveni made the assurance on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, during a meeting at State House with CAF Acting Secretary General Samson Adamu, CAF Country Infrastructure Manager Bianca Wambui and a technical team visiting Uganda to assess preparations for the tournament.
The CAF delegation briefed the President on its observations from inspections of stadiums, training facilities and other infrastructure required for the tournament.
Wambui commended progress on the stadiums and training grounds. “I would like to commend the efforts that have been put in so far, especially in terms of the stadiums and training grounds. The progress is commendable,” she said.
Museveni said the Government would address the remaining challenges, pointing to Uganda’s experience hosting the 2024 Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, which brought together representatives from about 150 countries.
“We hosted NAM here, which comprised 150 countries, and we were able to deal with them. The Kampala area has the facilities, but now the challenge is upcountry, which we are now going to concentrate on,” Museveni said.
He added: “I will unlock whatever needs to be unlocked, and I’m very sure the AFCON people will be very happy when they come here.”
Uganda is preparing three principal stadiums for AFCON 2027: Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira and Hoima City Stadium. The Local Organising Committee said earlier this month that all three are expected to be ready by the end of December 2026.
CAF conducted an eight-day inspection of facilities across the three host countries earlier this month, assessing stadiums, training grounds, hotels, airports and other supporting infrastructure.
CAF pushes for single visa
Adamu also asked Museveni to support a single visa arrangement for Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to ease movement of football fans, teams, officials and other tournament participants across the three countries.
The proposed framework is part of wider preparations for cross-border movement during the tournament. CAF and the three host governments had earlier identified visa, immigration, customs and mobility coordination as key areas requiring joint action.
Museveni said he would follow up with his counterparts in Kenya and Tanzania, adding that discussions on the proposal had already begun.
“I have got all my orders, and I’m going to implement them,” he said.
AFCON task force briefs President
Museveni also met Uganda’s National AFCON Task Force, led by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, which briefed him on preparations for the tournament.
The meeting brought together officials from government ministries, departments and agencies involved in the preparations, including State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang and FUFA President Moses Magogo.
The PAMOJA 2027 AFCON will run from June 19 to July 17, 2027, with Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania jointly hosting the 24-team tournament.
Uganda has already secured automatic qualification as a host nation, although it will participate in the qualifying matches. The Cranes are in Group H alongside Tunisia, Libya and Botswana.
The latest CAF engagement comes as Uganda enters a critical phase of preparations, with stadium construction, training facilities, transport, accommodation and cross-border movement among the issues being monitored ahead of the tournament.