Dar es Salaam, March 1 -- THERE is a peculiar way in which time behaves when a great event approaches. At first it strolls along like a distant caravan on the horizon: Visible, romantic and comfortably far away.

You wave at it lazily. You say, “Ah, we have plenty of time.”

Then one morning you open the curtains and discover the caravan has parked in your driveway and is asking where to plug in the electricity.

So, it is with the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations.

Not long ago, the idea that Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda would jointly host Africas greatest football tournament sounded like the kind of ambitious regional dream discussed over polished conference tables, accompanied by hopeful handshakes and optimistic ...