Update on Uganda's Ksh16.9 billion flagship 2027 AFCON facility rivalling Talanta Stadium
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Reading Time: 4min | Wed. 30.07.25. | 20:56
According to recent media reports, the stadium is currently over 75% complete and in line to be ready by 31st December as expected
Uganda's flagship sports project, Hoima City Stadium, which rivals Kenya's Talanta Sports City, is taking shape and is in the latter stages of construction.
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Hoima City Stadium is a brand new ultra-modern stadium being constructed by the Ugandan government in readiness for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be jointly held by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The three East African nations placed a joint bid to host both the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) and the 2027 AFCON, which was confirmed in September 2023.
Despite having the Mandela National Stadium (Namboole) in Kampala, which is CAF-approved, Uganda was keen to add another facility in a bid to increase its ability to host many AFCON matches.
Video courtesy of UGAdeventures
Hoima Stadium was originally on a 10-acre land donated by the family of Dr. James Rujumba in 2020 before FUFA acquired an additional 10 acres from the same estate.
An additional 14.9 acres bought by the Uganda National Council of Sports made it possible for the construction of the 20,000-seater facility
In July 2024, the construction of the stadium, which will also have an indoor arena, began after the government signed a $131 million (approximately Ugx 470 billion and Ksh16.9 billion) contract with Turkish firm Summa Construction Inc to deliver the stadium in 18 months.
Renowned construction firm China Railway 18th Bureau Group Co. Ltd was then awarded the contract to construct the stadium and was supervised by the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Sports.
According to recent media reports, the stadium is currently over 75% complete and in line to be ready by 31st December as expected.
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YouTube videos by various accounts, such as UGAdventures, FREE DOCUMENTARY UG, show that the stands of the two-tier stadium are already complete with only a little finishing work remaining.
The installation of chairs in the lower deck is yet to start as there are still finishing works remaining in the columns and some other materials that are to be used both for the roofing and the playing surface.
The installation of seats is ongoing and has already covered major parts of the upper deck of the stands where the VIP and VVIP will also be housed.
The roofing works at the facility have also continued with speed, as almost the whole stadium has roofing rails, curtain walls and roofing steel complete.
The oval-shaped roof is the major part of the ongoing works, with the contractor having already installed all the steel trusses to make sure the roofing stays in shape.
In the VIP and VVIP section, the installation of a white canopy is almost complete, even as the partitioning of various rooms within the area continues.
The area will include a media tribune, a media section especially for the main stadium camera, a lounge for the VIP and VVIP, as well as two changing rooms for players.
The outer layer of the VIP section, which was designed to be walled by glass, is proceeding as planned, with the installation over 90% done according to media reports.
Video courtesy of Visit Uganda
In the other sections, the walling, which is decorated by the colours of the Ugandan flag, is also ongoing even as the contractor awaits the shipping of the whole canopy material.
There have been few works on the playing surface as the contractor has scheduled it as part of the last works in the stadium to prevent destruction by the roofing machinery.
The multipurpose stadium is also expected to have a tartan running track for use by athletes, unlike Kenya's Talanta Sports City, which will be a purely football stadium.
The indoor arena of the Hoima Stadium, which is expected to have a capacity of 2,000 people, is about 70% complete according to UGAdventures.
Outside the stadium, there are ongoing works, albeit slow, on levelling the ground in anticipation of the construction of the parking lot, which will have a capacity of about 1,000 cars.
In the end, Hoima Stadium, just like Talanta Sports City are legacy projects by Uganda and Kenya, respectively and will be a major boost to the sporting infrastructure of the East African region.
The region is expected to have at least seven stadia for use at the 2027 AFCON, with Kenya boasting of three, with Tanzania and Uganda having two apiece.
Kenya is expected to have Talanta Sports City, Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani and Nyayo National Stadium, while Tanzania will have the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam and Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar.
