CAF SCRAPS FOUR-YEAR AFCON CYCLE, RESTORES BIENNIAL TOURNAMENT
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will return to its traditional two-year cycle after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee unanimously reversed its earlier decision to stage the tournament every four years.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe announced the decision, confirming that the continental showpiece will continue to be held every two years, with the next edition scheduled for 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The reversal follows a reassessment of CAF’s proposed Africa Nations League, which was intended to replace the biennial AFCON as the continent’s major competition staged every two years.
CAF said the new competition would take several years to generate the substantial financial resources needed to strengthen African football and make its competitions globally competitive and financially self-sustaining.
Explaining the decision, Motsepe said the EXCO had prioritised the interests of African football, its 54 member associations and players employed by clubs outside the continent.
“The decision by the CAF EXCO that the CAF AFCON should take place every Two Years was based on advancing, protecting and promoting the interest of African Football and CAF’s 54 Member Associations, as well as the interest of African players employed by Football Clubs outside Africa,” he said.
He added that the proposed Africa Nations League would need several years before it could make meaningful financial and developmental contributions to the game.
“The next TotalEnergies CAF AFCON will take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and I am confident that it will be very successful,” Motsepe said.
Under the revised calendar, subsequent AFCON tournaments will be held in 2028, 2031 and 2033.
The 2030 edition has been skipped to avoid a clash with the FIFA World Cup, in line with FIFA’s tradition of avoiding the scheduling of continental national team finals during World Cup years.
Motsepe said AFCON remained more than a football competition, describing it as an important platform for celebrating Africa’s cultural diversity and bringing people together.
“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.
He said the decision would contribute significantly to the development and growth of football across the continent.