The Principal Secretary (PS) in the State Department for Sports Elijah Mwangi termed the 2027 AFCON that is being co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania as a one-in-a-generation event that offers massive economic opportunities for entrepreneurs, innovators and business community.
This edition of the tournament would be the first to be hosted by three countries, and the first in five decades to be organised in the CECAFA region, since it was hosted by Ethiopia in 1976.
The 2027 edition will further serve as the Africa Cup of Nations’ 70th anniversary, and will be the last one to be held in odd-numbered years, as CAF announced in December 2025 that AFCON would become a Quadrennial tournament from 2028 onwards.
Speaking during the official opening of AFCON Kenya-Tanzania-Uganda Commercial Roadshow, Kenya’s Chapter, in Nairobi, the PS stated 2027 AFCON presented a gilt-edged opportunity for the stakeholders in the private sector to reap massive benefits from this continental football event as well as other activities around the tournament.
Mwangi cited the opportunities in the transport sector through facilitating the seamless cross-border movement of people, goods and services, extension of banking and other financial services beyond Kenya's borders and the enhanced brand awareness for companies that deal with merchandise.
‘East Africa is ready’
“We are excited this opportunity has come to Kenya. The corporate actors should not simply focus on sponsorship in the traditional sense of the word.
“They have the chance to develop products and services that will live beyond the AFCON event,” said PS Mwangi.
The meeting was attended by top Confederation of African Football (CAF) commercial gurus led by Hassan El Kamah, CAF’s Commercial Director, FKF President Hussein Mohammed, Local Organizing Committee Chair, Nicholas Musonye, CEO Tony Lung’aho and several top managers of various blue-chip companies.
Speaking on behalf of FKF, Mohammed said: “This is more than a tournament, it is a generation legacy project.
“AFCON is a massive global spectacle. The last edition in Morocco attracted over 5 billion viewers worldwide. In 2027, billions of eyes will turn to East Africa.
“For the private sector and the corporates, this competition presents an unprecedented, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is your opportunity to align your brand with Africa's biggest sporting event and secure unmatched visibility across the continent and beyond.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to CAF for this opportunity and for believing in the Pamoja dream. Kenya is Ready. East Africa is Ready. PAMOJA, we will deliver the greatest AFCON in history.”
With the historic 2027 AFCON slotted to kick off in June next year, the government is accelerating the involvement of the private sector in the tournament in a bid to create a formidable sports ecosystem around the continental showpiece.
According to data from CAF, the 2025 AFCON in Morocco saw the country earn over 2 billion dollars from various activities around the tournament including ticketing, sale of merchandise, sponsorships and broadcast deals.
Additionally, the tournament saw a record attendance of 1.5 million fans who attended stadiums to watch the matches with the country reporting an influx of over 3 million visitors through activities related to AFCON 2024.
These are the numbers that the government wants the corporate actors to exploit and establish a formidable economic foundation that will out-last AFCON 2027.
Mwangi said the government is continuing to create an enabling environment to support rapid and sustainable growth of sports in Kenya. He further disclosed that the Sports Act has a provision for tax rebates for companies that incurred expenses to support sports development.
“There is a provision for tax rebates for companies that have demonstrated they supported sports’ development. This is provided for in law,” added Mwangi.
On Kenya’s readiness PS Mwangi said: “We are progressing very well as PAMOJA countries as we gear up towards hosting of 2027 AFCON.
“Few weeks ago, we received a delegation from CAF who came to inspect our stadiums and we are very grateful because when they came in February they had given us a target of 80% completion by August 2026.
“When they came back, they were able to identify areas that we are to work on and finish but those are new requirements. Essentially by the initial design, we are at 95% completion of the facility.
“As far as the hosting is concerned, they gave us a rating of 80%.”
“For Kasarani, the contractor is on the site and he is working on the recommended areas and we are certain that by December all the works will have been completed.
“We have not yet started working on Nyayo Stadium and Ulinzi Sports Complex because we want football to continue and therefore giving our teams somewhere to play before we open Kasarani or Raila Odinga Stadium.”
CAF attend meeting in Nairobi
The PAMOJA 2027 AFCON is also expected to present Kenya with an opportunity to showcase her capacity to host global events and tournaments of international nature.
The accelerated construction of world-class stadia, efficient transport systems and top-tier hospitality facilities are some of the key attractions expected to give Kenya a prominent standing as a worthy host for major sports activities.
CAF Commercial Director Hassan El Kamah said the joint hosting of 2027 AFCON presented Kenya’s companies with investments’ opportunities that extended to new markets across Africa and around the world.
He noted that data trends for recent AFCON tournaments have demonstrated phenomenal growth and predicted that the 2027 football bonzana promised to be bigger.
“This is the first AFCON being co-hosted by the three East Africa Nations. We need to see the commercial opportunities around it and become part of this journey,” he said.
Local Organizing Committee (LOC) chairman Nicholas Musonye noted onboarding of players in the corporate sector would transform the 2027 AFCON from being a mere football tournament into a major commercial and investment event that will contribute heavily to national development.
