Ugandan State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang has disclosed that Philip Omondi Stadium was dropped from Uganda’s list of Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027 training venues after KCCA Football Club management declined proposed upgrades to the facility.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Budget Committee, Ogwang revealed that the stadium had initially been earmarked as one of the training grounds for the continental tournament, which Uganda will co-host alongside Kenya and Tanzania.
However, subsequent guidance from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) altered the criteria.
“At the first phase of identifying training pitches for Afcon, Philip Omondi Stadium was among those we had selected,” Ogwang said.
“However, after further guidance from CAF, it was made clear that training facilities must have natural grass to qualify.”
2027 CAF Africa Cup of Nations hosts: SET! 👏
Kenya, Uganda & Tanzania. ✅ pic.twitter.com/dQ5ZgHUSpz
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) September 27, 2023
According to the minister, government officials engaged KCCA FC leadership on the possibility of converting the stadium’s playing surface to natural grass to meet CAF requirements. Those talks, however, did not yield a green light.
“We had an engagement with the management of KCCA Football Club, but they were not ready to allow Philip Omondi Stadium to be upgraded to have natural grass pitches,” he said.
Left with little room to maneuver, government opted to redirect resources to alternative venues that complied with CAF’s technical standards.
“As government, we had to look for alternative venues that fit within the guidance given by the Confederation of African Football.”
Ogwang confirmed that Philip Omondi Stadium has since been officially removed from AFCON-related infrastructure plans, with funds already disbursed to facilities that made the final cut.
East Africa PAMOJA AFCON 2027#TotalEnergiesAFCON2027 pic.twitter.com/C87MTDOSG8
— FUFA (@OfficialFUFA) January 20, 2026
Training venues now approved for AFCON 2027 preparations include Gulu University, Lira University, Pece Stadium, Kyambogo University, Muteesa II Stadium, Makerere University, and FUFA Stadium, Kadiba.
