The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will expand from 24 to 28 participating teams beginning with the 2027 edition of the tournament.

CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe made the announcement on Wednesday in Johannesburg, describing the decision as a major step towards increasing participation and creating more opportunities for national teams across the continent.

The 2027 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, will become the first edition to feature 28 nations, adding teams will be drawn into seven groups of four. The top two teams from each group will qualify automatically for the knockout phase, while the two best third-placed teams will complete the four more teams to the current tournament format.

Under the new competition structure, the 28 qualified teams will be drawn into seven groups of four. The top two teams from each group will qualify automatically for the knockout phase, while the two best third-placed teams will complete the 16-team Round of 16 lineup.

The expansion marks the latest evolution of Africa’s premier football tournament after CAF increased the number of participating teams from 16 to 24 ahead of the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.

According to CAF, the new format is aimed at making the competition more inclusive while strengthening its competitiveness and giving more countries the opportunity to compete on the continent’s biggest football stage.

The 2027 tournament will also make history as the first AFCON to be hosted in East Africa, with Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania sharing the quality, commercial growth and global profile of African football, adding that preparations for the hosting responsibilities.