NOT READY, BELOW STANDARD: Full CAF Report on Uganda’s Stadiums and Government Response

The  Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released its inspection report on Uganda’s readiness to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). According to the report, none of Uganda’s proposed stadiums meets “Category 4” requirements for hosting the tournament.  Following the CAF report on Uganda’s stadiums, government has responded.

Uganda’s preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) are being debated following a CAF inspection that showed how none of the country’s proposed competition stadiums currently meet the Category 4 standards required for hosting the tournament. The inspection, conducted in February 2026, found the national infrastructure program stuck in a mixed phase of construction, upgrading and operational redesign, leaving the readiness of Uganda’s football facilities in question.

The inspection focused on three main stadium projects shaping the country’s hosting ambitions. Hoima City Stadium, a newly built venue, is structurally complete but suffers from serious operational deficiencies. The facility lacks proper segregation between spectator categories, allowing unsafe cross‑circulation among media, VIPs, teams and general fans. Referee and players’ dressing rooms fail to comply with AFCON specifications, while media facilities fall below the required standards. The mixed zone is incorrectly positioned inside the competition area and the stadium’s layout creates limited buffer space and obstructed views from the stands due to misplaced benches. Consequently, significant operational reconfiguration is mandatory to bring the venue up to AFCON standards.

Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, an existing facility earmarked for major upgrades, presents extensive compliance gaps with CAF Category 4 requirements. The proposed renovation involves partial demolition of the West Stand, structural expansion and roof replacement, but the original 15‑month construction timeline is incompatible with the AFCON 2027 delivery schedule. CAF has advised Uganda to revise the upgrade strategy to maximize use of the existing structural frame, reduce the construction duration and target completion by December 2026, ensuring the stadium can host international matches on time.

The third venue, Akii Bua Stadium in Lira, is a new construction still under development. Because the site was not visited during the inspection mission, its technical status remains unverified and requires further assessment to determine compliance with CAF standards. Beyond the stadiums, training infrastructure across the host clusters shows uneven readiness, with several sites needing rehabilitation, lighting upgrades to at least 500 lux, and proper dressing‑room facilities to meet CAF training norms.

Supporting infrastructure also poses challenges for Uganda’s AFCON preparations. The operational readiness of Hoima Airport, hotel accommodation capacity—particularly the availability of five 5‑star hotels with at least 50 rooms each—and the connectivity of the Kampala‑Hoima road corridor are uncertain. Additionally, medical and emergency response infrastructure, including designated reference hospitals, must be formally confirmed to support tournament requirements.

In response, CAF has set priority actions to be verified during the next inspection mission in August 2026. Hoima City Stadium must achieve full implementation of redesigned spectator circulation, segregation plans, mixed‑zone relocation, dressing‑room upgrades, dugout construction and media infrastructure improvements, alongside validation of safety and operational overlay areas. Mandela National Stadium should demonstrate over 50 percent progress on a revised upgrade strategy, with a confirmed contractor, visible structural works and planning for hospitality and media facilities. Training infrastructure must reach more than 80 percent completion, confirming compliant training sites, lighting certification of at least 2500 lux and functional facilities. Supporting infrastructure must show measurable progress on airport readiness, hotel capacity, at least 40 percent improvement in the Kampala‑Hoima road corridor and confirmation of medical emergency services.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) emphasizes that detailed technical inspection reports are attached for reference, urging Ugandan authorities to address these operational and construction gaps to ensure the stadiums and ancillary facilities meet AFCON 2027 requirements and deliver a safe, high‑quality tournament experience.

Below is the full CAF report on Uganda’s four stadiums and government response:

CAF REPORT

1. CURRENT READINESS & KEY CHALLENGES

As of February 2026, none of the proposed competition stadiums in Uganda fully meets CAF Category 4 requirements.

Uganda’s AFCON 2027 infrastructure programme is currently in a mixed phase of construction, upgrading and operational redesign.

The country’s infrastructure delivery relies on three main stadium projects:

1. HOIMA CITY STADIUM (a newly constructed stadium requiring operational redesign.)

Although the stadium structure is completed and operational, several major operational deficiencies were identified. Key issues include:

– absence of clear segregation between spectator categories;

– cross-circulation between media, VIP, teams and general spectators;

– non-compliant referee dressing rooms;

– non-compliance of players’ dressing rooms;

– media facilities below AFCON standards;

– mixed zone incorrectly located within the competition area;

– limited operational buffer space due to the stadium’s geographical location.

– current position of the benches causing a major view obstruction from the stands

While the stadium structure is completed, significant operational reconfiguration is required to meet AFCON standards.

1. MANDELA NATIONAL STADIUM – KAMPALA (existing stadium requiring major upgrading works).

Mandela National Stadium currently presents major compliance gaps with CAF Category 4 requirements.

A large-scale upgrade project has been proposed, including:

– partial demolition of the West Stand;

– structural expansion;

– roof replacement.

 

However, the initial 15-month construction timeline is incompatible with AFCON 2027 delivery requirements.

CAF has therefore recommended revising the upgrade strategy to:- maximise use of the existing structural frame;

– reduce construction duration;

– target completion by December 2026.

III. AKII BUA STADIUM – LIRA, a new stadium currently under construction.

The site was not visited during the inspection mission, and therefore its current technical status requires further verification.

While Kampala benefits from relatively developed metropolitan infrastructure, the readiness of the tournament ecosystem across Hoima and the wider host network remains uncertain and requires further consolidation.

1. TRAINING INFRASTRUCTURE

Training infrastructure across the clusters also shows uneven levels of readiness, with several proposed sites requiring rehabilitation or development.

Training facilities across the Hoima and Kampala clusters remain particularly uneven. Several proposed sites are currently non‑compliant with CAF training standards.

Key challenges include:

– insufficient number of compliant training grounds in Hoima;

– pitch rehabilitation requirements.

– lighting installation and certification (≥500 lux);

– completion of dressing rooms and technical facilities.

1. SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE

In addition to stadium construction, Uganda’s delivery is also strongly dependent on supporting infrastructure, including airport readiness, hotel capacity and transport connectivity between host cities.

Several elements of the broader tournament ecosystem remain uncertain, particularly outside Kampala.

Key exposure areas include:

– commissioning and operational readiness of Hoima Airport;

– limited availability of high‑category hotels in Hoima;

– road connectivity between Kampala and Hoima;

– validation of medical infrastructure and emergency services.

1. PRIORITY ACTIONS BEFORE AUGUST 2026 (Milestones to be verified during the next CAF inspection mission)

The August 2026 inspection mission will verify demonstrable and measurable progress across the following areas.

1. Hoima City Stadium (expected completion level 100%)

By August 2026 the following must be achieved:

– implementation of redesigned spectator circulation and segregation plans

– relocation of the mixed zone outside the competition area

– upgrade of referee dressing rooms and officials’ areas

– upgrade of players’ dressing rooms

– construction of dugouts to address the issue of benches obstructing pitch view from the stands

– improvement of media infrastructure including press conference facilities

– validation of spectator capacity and circulation safety

– confirmation of operational overlay areas and buffer spaces

1. Mandela National Stadium – Kampala (expected completion level >50 %)

The August inspection will verify:

– adoption of a revised stadium upgrade strategy aligned with AFCON delivery deadlines

– confirmation of the construction contractor and project implementation schedule

– visible start of structural upgrading works

– implementation planning for hospitality areas and skyboxes

– upgrade plan for spectator circulation and media facilities

III. Training Infrastructure (expected completion level >80 %)

The August inspection will verify:

– confirmation of the final portfolio of training sites across all clusters

– rehabilitation of priority training grounds

– lighting certification ≥2500 lux

– availability of pitch maintenance equipment

– operational dressing rooms and technical facilities

1. Supporting Infrastructure

The following elements must demonstrate measurable progress by the next inspection milestone:

– Confirmation of Hoima Airport operational readiness, including its capacity to support international arrivals and tournament-related logistics.

– Validated hotel accommodation capacity for teams and officials, including a minimum of five 5-star hotels, each offering at least 50 rooms and meeting all required operational standards and amenities.

– Demonstrable progress (minimum 40%) in the improvement or upgrading of the road corridor between Kampala and Hoima, ensuring reliable connectivity for tournament operations.

– Formal confirmation of medical and emergency response infrastructure, including designated reference hospitals and emergency medical services capable of supporting tournament requirements.

RESPONSE BY JUNIOR MINISTER FOR SPORTS PETER OGWANG

I would like to confirm that last month, we requested CAF to come and conduct an assessment of the state of our sports facilities at Mandela Stadium and Hoima Stadium as part of the quality control and assurance measure ahead of the AFCON 2027.

It is true that CAF, in their report, cited a few gaps, specifically on Hoima Stadium and such gaps have been brought to the attention of the contractor-SUMMA. Indeed, the contractor has since held several meetings with us and has hands on deck to ensure that the issues raised are addressed in due course to the satisfaction of the CAF requirements and standards before the next inspection in August this year.

On other infrastructural gaps, such as airport, roads and hotels, which are outside the ambit of Education and Sports sector, the Minister of Education and Sports, Hon Janet Museveni, who is the Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for AFCON, submitted a cabinet paper where government agreed to provide additional resources to address such challenges.

I want to reassure the public that government of Uganda, together with Kenya and Tanzania under the “East Africa Pamoja” bid is fully committed to ensuring that the AFCON 2027 campaign is a success.