- Uganda announced visa waivers and on-arrival facilitation for ticket-holding fans during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
- The special AFCON Event Visa requires a Fan ID and valid match ticket for entry between June and July 2027.
- East African hosts are integrating travel systems to allow seamless movement between Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania during the tournament.
(UGANDA) — Uganda announced visa waivers and visa-on-arrival facilitation for some Africa Cup of Nations 2027 fans, as the country joins Kenya and Tanzania in co-hosting the tournament under the Pamoja Bid.
The Ugandan Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control has confirmed that ticket-holding fans from participating nations will be eligible for a special AFCON Event Visa. Fans with a valid match ticket and a Fan ID will receive a visa-on-arrival or a waived fee for the duration of the tournament.
Uganda’s move forms part of a wider East African Community effort to streamline travel among the three host countries during AFCON 2027. Officials are using the East Africa Tourist Visa infrastructure to let fans move more easily between Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania during the competition.
The hosts are Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, which secured the tournament through the Pamoja Bid. The visa facilitation plan is tied to East African Community efforts to advance what officials describe as a “Single Tourism Destination” goal.
Uganda expects over 500,000 international fans for the event. That anticipated traffic is driving an expansion of the e-visa system and biometric processing at Entebbe International Airport, also known as EBB.
The waiver for ticket holders is expected to run from June 1, 2027, to July 31, 2027. During that period, eligible supporters can use the AFCON travel arrangements tied to tickets and tournament identification.
For many fans across the continent, the biggest benefit will be reduced entry costs or free entry. Fans from Confederation of African Football member states are expected to receive the broadest concessions, with many granted free entry upon presentation of a valid tournament ID.
American travelers fall under a different arrangement. They do not receive an automatic waiver, but they can use an expedited AFCON Event Visa portal that cuts processing from the standard 72 hours to under 24 hours.
A U.S. State Department travel advisory dated April 3, 2026 urged travelers to follow host-country requirements closely. “U.S. citizens planning to attend the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations in Uganda, Kenya, or Tanzania should ensure they meet the specific entry requirements announced by the host governments. While Uganda has announced visa-on-arrival facilitation for match-ticket holders, travelers must still possess a passport valid for at least six months and a yellow fever vaccination certificate.”
That guidance reflected the limits of the U.S. role in the policy itself. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of Homeland Security mainly oversee immigration into the United States, not visa rules set by foreign governments.
Even so, U.S. agencies have addressed AFCON 2027 in the context of travel security and event screening. In a March 2026 statement, DHS said officials had engaged East African security counterparts through the International Biometric Information Sharing program to assist in vetting tied to the tournament.
DHS also emphasized “security cooperation to ensure the safety of international travelers attending AFCON 2027.” That work extends to technical advisory support from DHS and the TSA for screening protocols at Entebbe and Jomo Kenyatta International Airports as they prepare for a surge in fan traffic.
Uganda’s policy stops short of a blanket global visa waiver. The Ugandan Ministry of Internal Affairs remains the official authority on Ugandan visas, and the facilitation announced for AFCON 2027 applies through the special event framework built around tickets, Fan ID requirements and travel coordination with regional partners.
That distinction matters because the policy centers on tournament access rather than a general opening of Uganda’s borders. Eligibility turns on match attendance and event documentation, not a universal change for all foreign nationals.
The Fan ID requirement mirrors a model used at other global sporting events. Under the Uganda plan, supporters who can present both a valid match ticket and a Fan ID qualify for visa-on-arrival processing or a waived fee during the tournament window.
Regional travel is central to the arrangement. By relying on the East Africa Tourist Visa platform, the co-hosts aim to reduce friction for supporters who may attend matches in more than one country as the tournament moves across East Africa.
That design could ease travel planning for supporters landing in one country and crossing into another for later fixtures. It also aligns with the East African Community’s effort to present the three hosts as a connected destination rather than separate entry systems for a single tournament.
Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania are preparing for what would be the first AFCON hosted in East Africa. Visa facilitation has become one of the practical steps tied to that hosting effort, alongside airport screening support and immigration processing upgrades.
At Entebbe, the pressure will be operational as much as diplomatic. Uganda expects the volume of incoming supporters to test both its e-visa system and on-arrival processing, prompting expanded biometric handling at the airport.
The same broad security focus is visible in the U.S. advisory language. Travelers attending matches in Uganda, Kenya or Tanzania must still meet entry conditions announced by each host government, including passport validity and health documentation.
For U.S. citizens heading to Uganda, the travel advisory makes clear that a streamlined tournament process does not erase standard travel rules. The requirement for a passport valid for at least six months and a yellow fever vaccination certificate remains in place.
The AFCON Event Visa is separate from U.S. immigration policy. No USCIS or DHS measure creates a U.S. visa waiver linked to the tournament, and there has been no change to B1/B2 visa requirements for Ugandan citizens traveling to the United States as of April 8, 2026.
That point comes as Uganda’s AFCON plan has drawn broad attention beyond the region. The event’s scale, the involvement of three governments and the use of shared biometric and security tools have put immigration procedures alongside sports planning.
Official guidance remains split by jurisdiction. Ugandan entry rules and tournament facilitation fall under the Ugandan Ministry of Internal Affairs, while U.S. travel and immigration agencies have published broader security and travel information through the U.S. Department of State, the DHS newsroom and USCIS announcements.
For traveling supporters, the practical divide is straightforward. Fans eligible under Uganda’s AFCON policy may obtain visa-on-arrival or a waived fee if they hold the necessary ticket and Fan ID, but they still need to comply with the underlying travel conditions set by the host governments.
For American fans, the fastest route is not a waiver but expedited processing. The AFCON Event Visa portal reduces approval times from 72 hours to under 24 hours, a faster timeline intended to manage the tournament rush without extending automatic exemptions.
For many supporters from participating African nations, the benefit is wider. Many are expected to receive free entry upon presentation of valid tournament identification, a concession designed to encourage movement across all three host countries during the competition.
The security side of the preparations has developed in parallel. DHS engagement through International Biometric Information Sharing and technical advisory support for screening at Entebbe and Jomo Kenyatta point to a tournament plan built around both facilitation and vetting.
That balance is visible in the U.S. language on AFCON 2027. While U.S. agencies are not setting Uganda’s visa rules, they are treating the event as a high-volume international travel operation that requires coordination with East African counterparts.
Uganda’s announcement also signals how closely sports, tourism and border policy are now linked in the region. The East African Community has framed easier movement during AFCON 2027 as part of a broader push for integrated travel among member states, with the Pamoja Bid serving as both a football campaign and a test of regional coordination.
Whether fans arrive through Entebbe, Jomo Kenyatta or another tournament gateway, host governments are trying to build a system that allows quick movement without abandoning checks. Uganda’s special AFCON Event Visa, the visa-on-arrival option and fee waivers for eligible supporters sit at the center of that effort.
As planning accelerates toward June 1, 2027, Uganda is presenting AFCON 2027 not only as a football event but as a regional mobility project, with the Ugandan Ministry of Internal Affairs, the East African Community and the Pamoja Bid all tied to a single promise: easier entry for fans who can prove they are coming for the tournament.
