East Africa’s three 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) hosts are exploring a common visa framework to make it easier for football fans to move between their countries, as they seek to turn the continental tournament into a wider tourism and business opportunity.
- Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda are considering a common visa framework for the 2027 AFCON to ease movement for football fans between the countries.
- This initiative aims to turn the tournament into a broader tourism and business opportunity, encouraging visitors to spend on hotels, transport, and attractions.
- Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister confirmed the initiative, but the final agreement and implementation timetable are yet to be announced.
- The current East African Tourist Visa does not include Tanzania, so a new arrangement could bridge this gap for AFCON travel.
The proposed arrangement involving Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda could allow international supporters to attend matches across the three countries with fewer entry formalities.
It could also encourage visitors to spend on hotels, transport, restaurants and tourism attractions beyond the cities hosting their preferred teams.
The EastAfrican reported on October 12 that Rebecca Kadaga, chairperson of the East African Community (EAC) Council of Ministers and Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister, confirmed the initiative during an inspection of the Pamoja AFCON Stadium in Arusha, Tanzania.
The tournament is scheduled for June 19 to July 17, 2027, according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
A common visa could widen the tournament’s economic reach
The idea builds on consultations that began in April, when sports ministers from the three host countries agreed to continue discussions on a shared visa framework.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni endorsed the initiative in July, but the governments have yet to announce a final agreement or implementation timetable.
The proposal would address a gap in the existing East African Tourist Visa, which allows eligible travellers to visit Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda but does not include Tanzania.
A separate arrangement covering all three AFCON hosts could make cross-border travel easier for supporters planning to follow matches in different countries.
However, important details remain unresolved, including eligibility, fees, visa validity and the procedures travellers would follow at border crossings. The practical benefits will depend on how the three governments design and implement the system.
Tanzanian East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) member Abdullah Makame has cautioned that the visa’s effectiveness would depend on clear rules and consistent implementation across the participating countries.
For the hosts, the potential economic opportunity extends beyond ticket sales. Easier movement could help distribute visitor spending across multiple destinations and give fans more opportunities to combine football with regional tourism. But those gains are not guaranteed and will depend on the number of visitors, their length of stay and the ease of travel between match venues.
With the tournament less than a year away, reaching agreement on the visa framework would give the three countries more time to communicate the arrangements to international supporters and coordinate border procedures before the first match.