AFCON 2027 Tanzania: A Football Fan's Guide to Safari Season

In 2027 Tanzania will co-host the Africa Cup of Nations together with Kenya and Uganda, the first time three countries have shared the tournament. Matches are scheduled for the middle of the year, in June and July. If you are flying in to watch, you have a rare chance to see top African football and go on a real East African safari in the same trip. Always check the official fixture list for the latest dates.

Tanzania's host cities

Tanzania's matches are spread across three very different places, which is great if you want to see more than a stadium and a hotel:

• Dar es Salaam, the country's largest city, with the 60,000-seat Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
• Arusha, the safari capital of the north, with its new stadium. It is the closest venue to the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Kilimanjaro.
• Zanzibar, with matches on an island that is already made for visitors.

Why Arusha is the easiest base

If you plan around just one city, make it Arusha, our home town. Every northern safari starts and ends here, so you can watch a match and visit Arusha National Park the same day, or leave for the Serengeti and Ngorongoro the next morning. A few days of safari before or after a game turns a football trip into a complete holiday.

Zanzibar is a great choice too

If your matches are on Zanzibar, spice farms, Stone Town and some of the best beaches on the Swahili coast are all a short drive from the stadiums. Match days and beach days fit easily into one week. Our Zanzibar guide has ideas for the days in between.

Planning your trip

Most fans will come for a few specific fixtures rather than the whole tournament, and that is easy to plan around. Tell us which city and roughly which dates, and we will build your safari or beach days around the matches.

Book early. Hotels in Arusha and Zanzibar fill quickly in a normal high season, and the tournament will make them even busier.

Send us your match dates and we will plan the rest of the trip around them.