The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has abandoned its proposed shift to a four-year Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) cycle, opting to retain the traditional two-year format after concluding that its proposed alternative competition could not deliver the expected financial and developmental benefits in the immediate future.
The decision effectively reverses an earlier plan to replace the biennial AFCON with a four-year tournament, alongside the introduction of an Africa Nations League to be staged every two years.
CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, announced the reversal following the organisation’s Strategy Conference in Cabo Verde, saying the Executive Committee unanimously approved the decision in the interest of African football and its 54 member associations.
Motsepe explained that although the proposed Africa Nations League was designed to provide regular competition and strengthen football development, it would take several years before generating the financial resources and other benefits CAF had anticipated.
He said the governing body could not afford to make a scheduling change that might undermine the immediate interests of African football associations and players, particularly those employed by clubs outside the continent.
According to him, retaining the existing AFCON structure was considered the more beneficial option for the continent’s football development.
The revised arrangement means the next AFCON will hold in 2027, with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda jointly hosting the competition.
The subsequent editions are scheduled for 2028, 2031 and 2033, with CAF maintaining its position that the tournament will not coincide with a FIFA World Cup year.
The 2027 edition will mark a significant opportunity for the three East African countries to showcase their capacity to organise Africa’s biggest football competition.
Motsepe expressed confidence in their preparations, while stressing that AFCON represents more than a contest for continental football supremacy.
He described the tournament as an important platform for promoting Africa’s cultural diversity, traditions and shared identity, bringing together people from the continent’s 54 countries and the African diaspora.
“The AFCON competition is also about celebrating African Football and Africa’s rich and diverse cultures, customs and traditions and bringing people together from Africa’s 54 Countries, the African Diaspora and throughout the world,” he said.
The CAF president added that the decision to preserve the biennial schedule was guided by the need to advance, protect and promote the interests of African football and its member associations.
The reversal brings an end, for now, to the proposed restructuring of AFCON, reaffirming the competition’s traditional place as a biennial event on the African football calendar.
