The tournament, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, will be staged between 19 June and 17 July 2027.
It is just the second time the continental finals have been played in the June-July window after the 2019 edition, which will be a relief to European clubs, who will not lose their players mid-season.
CAF has yet to announce where the opening match will be played, or, more crucially, the final.
The qualifiers will be played over three FIFA windows, starting later this year. The draw for the qualifiers will be staged on May 19.
Matchdays 1 and 2 will be in the September 21-October 6 window, with Matchdays 3 and 4 from November 9-17.
There will be a pause, with the qualifiers to be completed with Matchdays 5 and 6, to be staged from March 22-30, 2027.
For the qualifiers, the 48 remaining sides will be drawn into 12 groups of four teams, with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the 24-team finals.
The three co-hosts automatically qualify, but are playing the qualifiers, so their groups will see only one other team advance.