Musonye made the call in Kigali on the sidelines of the SportsBiz Africa Forum, where he outlined a vision of AFCON 2027 as a regional event extending beyond the three host countries.

“We are preparing AFCON for the region, not for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania alone. We are preparing AFCON to cover the entire region. We want Rwanda to be part of it because Rwanda has played a big role in changing football in this region,” Musonye told IGIHE on Thursday.

He identified Rwanda’s qualification as his first priority, but also wants the country to benefit from the tournament by hosting teams for training camps.

“I want Rwanda to qualify for AFCON 2027. That’s number one. Number two, I want to see many teams coming to train in Rwanda here even if Rwanda doesn’t qualify,” he explained.

Rwanda is yet to begin its qualification campaign. The Amavubi were drawn in Group K alongside Mali, Cape Verde and Liberia, with the first two matchdays scheduled for September 24 to October 6.

Rwanda will open its campaign against Liberia before facing Cape Verde away. The remaining group matches against Mali, Cape Verde and Liberia will be played across the November 2026 and March 2027 international windows.

Under CAF’s qualification format, the top two teams in groups without a co-host qualify for the finals. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania already have places secured as hosts, meaning the highest-ranked team alongside each host will advance from those groups.

Rwanda therefore faces a competitive route, with Mali and Cape Verde both in its group. But Musonye believes the country’s contribution to the tournament should not depend solely on whether the Amavubi secure a place on the pitch.

Infrastructure remains key

Musonye also expressed confidence that Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will have their infrastructure ready for the tournament, dismissing concerns over stadium preparedness as the main remaining risk.

“The risks were the infrastructure. Now we are working to mitigate it. That is the only risk,” he said.

He noted that the three hosts are working together to ensure the venues meet the required standards.

“We are ready. The stadiums will be ready. Uganda, Tanzania, we are working as a team of Pamoja to make sure that the venues are ready for AFCON,” he added.

AFCON 2027 will be played from June 19 to July 17, with East Africa hosting the tournament for the first time in more than five decades. The competition will feature 24 teams.

Musonye sees the tournament as an opportunity to leave a lasting infrastructure and football development legacy across the region.

He projects that Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania could generate about $20 billion from the wider tournament, with the ambition of reinvesting the proceeds in infrastructure and grassroots football.

“We don’t want to make money and drop it. We want to make money and put it back in society to improve the infrastructure further and also to develop youth football from the grassroots,” he stressed.

‘An authentic African AFCON’

Beyond infrastructure and investment, Musonye wants the tournament to offer a different experience from previous editions by making movement around the region easier for fans.

“We want to make it open. We want people to come free in our region to watch football. There will be no restrictions about visa or what. We want to make it open. You come and enjoy football. You enjoy tourism and enjoy yourself,” he said.

He described the planned tournament as an “authentic African AFCON”, with East African hospitality at its centre.

For Rwanda, Musonye believes the tournament provides an opportunity to deepen regional cooperation in football, whether the Amavubi qualify or not.