{"id":2000125665,"date":"2026-09-10T20:03:58","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T18:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000125665"},"modified":"2026-09-10T20:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T18:05:25","slug":"kenya-afcon-chair-wants-rwanda-part-of-afcon-2027-plans-regardless-of-qualification-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/kenya-afcon-chair-wants-rwanda-part-of-afcon-2027-plans-regardless-of-qualification-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenya AFCON chair wants Rwanda part of 2027 plans, regardless of qualification (Video)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Musonye made the call in Kigali on the sidelines of the SportsBiz Africa Forum, where he outlined a vision of AFCON 2027 as a regional event extending beyond the three host countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are preparing AFCON for the region, not for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania alone. We are preparing AFCON to cover the entire region. We want Rwanda to be part of it because Rwanda has played a big role in changing football in this region,\u201d Musonye told IGIHE on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He identified Rwanda\u2019s qualification as his first priority, but also wants the country to benefit from the tournament by hosting teams for training camps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI want Rwanda to qualify for AFCON 2027. That\u2019s number one. Number two, I want to see many teams coming to train in Rwanda here even if Rwanda doesn\u2019t qualify,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rwanda is yet to begin its qualification campaign. The Amavubi were drawn in Group K alongside Mali, Cape Verde and Liberia, with the first two matchdays scheduled for September 24 to October 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rwanda will open its campaign against Liberia before facing Cape Verde away. The remaining group matches against Mali, Cape Verde and Liberia will be played across the November 2026 and March 2027 international windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under CAF\u2019s qualification format, the top two teams in groups without a co-host qualify for the finals. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania already have places secured as hosts, meaning the highest-ranked team alongside each host will advance from those groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rwanda therefore faces a competitive route, with Mali and Cape Verde both in its group. But Musonye believes the country\u2019s contribution to the tournament should not depend solely on whether the Amavubi secure a place on the pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-10-at-4.59.28-PM.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000125666\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kenya\u2019s AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee chairman Nicholas Musonye during an exclusive interview with IGIHE on the sidelines of the SportsBiz Africa Forum in Kigali on Thursday, September 10, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Infrastructure remains key<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Musonye also expressed confidence that Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will have their infrastructure ready for the tournament, dismissing concerns over stadium preparedness as the main remaining risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe risks were the infrastructure. Now we are working to mitigate it. That is the only risk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He noted that the three hosts are working together to ensure the venues meet the required standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are ready. The stadiums will be ready. Uganda, Tanzania, we are working as a team of Pamoja to make sure that the venues are ready for AFCON,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AFCON 2027 will be played from June 19 to July 17, with East Africa hosting the tournament for the first time in more than five decades. The competition will feature 24 teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Musonye sees the tournament as an opportunity to leave a lasting infrastructure and football development legacy across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He projects that Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania could generate about $20 billion from the wider tournament, with the ambition of reinvesting the proceeds in infrastructure and grassroots football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe don\u2019t want to make money and drop it. We want to make money and put it back in society to improve the infrastructure further and also to develop youth football from the grassroots,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u2018An authentic African AFCON\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond infrastructure and investment, Musonye wants the tournament to offer a different experience from previous editions by making movement around the region easier for fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe want to make it open. We want people to come free in our region to watch football. There will be no restrictions about visa or what. We want to make it open. You come and enjoy football. You enjoy tourism and enjoy yourself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He described the planned tournament as an \u201cauthentic African AFCON\u201d, with East African hospitality at its centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Rwanda, Musonye believes the tournament provides an opportunity to deepen regional cooperation in football, whether the Amavubi qualify or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kenya AFCON chair wants Rwanda in 2027 tournament as East Africa targets regional showcase\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n28ppJW6QLE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kenya\u2019s AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee chairman Nicholas Musonye wants Rwanda to play a role in the tournament even if the Amavubi fail to qualify, as Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania prepare to host the continental competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000125667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000125665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000125667,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/f49f55ca-e206-4231-8294-83125f511800.jpeg","alt":"Kenya\u2019s AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee chairman Nicholas Musonye wants Rwanda to play a role in the tournament","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1080,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/f49f55ca-e206-4231-8294-83125f511800.jpeg","width":1080,"height":720},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/f49f55ca-e206-4231-8294-83125f511800.jpeg","width":1080,"height":720},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/f49f55ca-e206-4231-8294-83125f511800.jpeg","width":1080,"height":720},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/f49f55ca-e206-4231-8294-83125f511800.jpeg","width":1080,"height":720},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/f49f55ca-e206-4231-8294-83125f511800.jpeg","width":1080,"height":720}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000125665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000125665"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000125665\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000125669,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000125665\/revisions\/2000125669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000125667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000125665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000125665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000125665"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000125665"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000125665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}