The State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang, has dismissed social media claims that Hoima City Stadium has been rejected by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) as a venue for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The claims gained traction on X shortly after a Caf inspection team concluded its tour of Uganda’s proposed Afcon facilities last week.
One user alleged that the stadium had failed to meet required standards, citing concerns about dressing room size, media facilities, competition offices and VIP areas, and claiming it was only fit for Cecafa-level matches.
But speaking in an exclusive interview on NBS Sport, Ogwang described the reports as unfounded and premature.
“Well, first of all, for the record, it is me who invited Caf to come here and carry out inspection of that stadium. So I want that to be known,” Ogwang said on Monday.
He explained that the inspection was formally requested by his office as part of preparations by the three co-host nations — Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania — ahead of the 2027 tournament.
“I did carry out the invitation before when we had Afcon in Morocco. Caf did communicate to us that they would come after Afcon 2025. And after that, it's true, Caf did communicate to us, as the three countries, that they were going to come out to inspection on our facilities for Afcon 2027,” he said.
According to the minister, the Caf delegation visited several facilities and is yet to submit its official findings.
“They came around, they went to the facilities, beginning with here. The second thing, I have not seen the report. So I don't know where the author of the report is,” he said.
“Because I'm the one who asked them to come. I am the one who is waiting for them to give a report to me. So I actually don't know where is the source of the information.”
Ogwang also revealed that although Hoima City Stadium has been commissioned, the contractor remains in charge under a one-year defect liability period — a standard contractual provision for projects of that scale.
“For that matter, we did commission the stadium, but the contractor is still managing the stadium for the next one year,” he said.
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, the continent’s premier football competition, will run from June 19 to July 18 and will be jointly hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania — marking the first time the tournament will be staged across three East African nations.
In Uganda, matches are expected to be played at Mandela National Stadium in Namboole, Hoima City Stadium and Akii-Bua Stadium in Lira.
Beyond match venues, government is also upgrading key training facilities, including grounds at Makerere University and Kyambogo University, as well as selected Fufa technical centres across the country, as preparations for the continental showpiece gather pace.
Officials maintain that final decisions on venue approvals will be guided by Caf’s formal inspection report, which is yet to be released.
