Magogo rallies East Africa to seize AFCON
KAMPALA – FUFA President Hon. Magogo Moses Hassim has called on East Africa to fully embrace the opportunity to host the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027, as the PAMOJA workshop officially kicked off at Mestil Hotel in Kampala on Wednesday, 22nd April 2026.
A warm welcome to Uganda
Hon. Magogo opened his remarks by welcoming delegates and reaffirming Uganda as a home for African football.
‘First of all, welcome everybody to Uganda. Uganda is home. It is your home. Even outside this workshop, you are always welcome back,’ he said.
Appreciation for government commitment
He extended gratitude to the Government of Uganda and partner states in East Africa for supporting the historic bid to host AFCON 2027.
‘I want to take this opportunity to thank the Government of Uganda, Honourable Minister, on behalf of the football fraternity of Uganda and East Africa, for having accepted our proposal that we bid to host AFCON for the first time in the East African region. We approached government and the three Presidents, each one of us did that, and our governments bought into the project,’ he noted.
‘We brought our bid to the Confederation of African Football, and they awarded us the rights to host AFCON in 2027, and that is why we are here today,’ he said.
Ending East Africa’s long wait
He highlighted that AFCON had traditionally been hosted in other regions of the continent, making this a landmark moment.
‘These things used to be seen elsewhere. For some of us who were moving across Africa for football, we would see them in the north of Africa, in the west of Africa, in the south of Africa, but not in East Africa,’ he explained.
Belief in regional capacity
Hon. Magogo expressed confidence in East Africa’s ability to deliver a successful tournament, noting that the key gap has been opportunity and experience.
‘What has never given me doubt is that as East Africa, we have the ability to host these events. What we are lacking is the opportunity and the experience,’ he added.
He emphasised the importance of learning from CAF, which has extensive experience in organising AFCON tournaments.
‘We are going to learn from the Confederation of African Football because it has the biggest experience in hosting AFCON, since for every AFCON that is hosted, it is involved,’ he said.
Hon. Magogo noted that lessons from the workshop will go beyond AFCON and benefit domestic competitions.
‘Out of this experience, we want to learn, we want to take lessons away, so that in the future we help football not only for its continental competitions but also our national competitions,’ he explained.
Driving East African integration
He described AFCON 2027 as a powerful tool for regional unity and integration within the East African Community.
‘This is an opportunity for East Africa and the East African Community. Our Head of State has been very clear on this, that we need to integrate East Africa. What an opportunity that our beloved game, the most beautiful game, is being used to bring East Africa together,’ he said.
He also linked the tournament to the broader aspirations of East African leaders.
‘It is the dream of our President and the dream of our Presidents in East Africa that we want to have a common people, a common market and a common territory,’ he noted, adding that AFCON presents ‘an opportunity to widen, to tighten and to deepen our East African Community.’
Impact beyond the pitch
Reflecting on the previous tournament, Hon. Magogo highlighted football’s wider social and economic benefits.
‘Football is not going to be the same in this region after this tournament,’ he said, referencing the experience after CHAN when fans asked ‘kati tugende wa’ following the tournament’s conclusion.
He stressed that football contributes significantly to tourism and national economies.
‘I also want to report that football does not come with just what we see on the pitch, but also what happens at the airport, where we had the biggest number of visitors in our history during the period of CHAN,’ he revealed.
Acknowledging challenges and the need to improve
Hon. Magogo admitted that the region will face challenges but emphasised the importance of learning and continuous improvement.
‘I want to appreciate that we are going to be challenged. We want to learn from the Confederation of African Football, whatever we need to do well, we want to listen, that is why we are here,’ he said.
‘At the end of the day, the objective is to make East Africa the best host Africa has ever had, and definitely where we did not do well with CHAN, we want to learn from that,’ he affirmed.
Gratitude to CAF leadership
Hon. Magogo thanked CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe for supporting inclusive hosting opportunities across Africa.
‘I want to thank the President of the Confederation of African Footbal Dr. Patrice Motsepe who insists that all African countries should be given an opportunity to host,’ he remarked.
Strengthening CAF leadership
He also congratulated the CAF General Secretary, highlighting his experience in managing competitions as vital for the journey ahead.
‘I also congratulate the General Secretary on his appointment. He comes with the right experience at the right time, having been directly involved in competitions,’ he stated.
Appreciation to CAF staff and stakeholders
Hon. Magogo thanked CAF officials for attending the workshop and encouraged active engagement.
‘I also want to take this opportunity to thank all the staff of the Confederation of African Football who are here. Thank you for making the time to come here. If it is your first time here, please let us enjoy, let us celebrate and let us make sure that the right decisions for football are made,’ he urged.
Recognising the Local Organising Committee
Hon. Magogo commended the Local Organising Committee Uganda for its ongoing work and commitment.
‘That is a good job we are doing. We delivered CHAN, but AFCON could be twenty times bigger than CHAN,’ he noted.
A confident conclusion
He concluded by expressing confidence in the outcomes of the workshop.
‘Let us enjoy the workshop and I believe that at the end of it we shall achieve our objectives,’ he said.
The PAMOJA workshop continues on Thursday, 23rd April 2026, bringing together key stakeholders from across the host nations to align on preparations for AFCON 2027.
