The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reversed its decision to hold the Africa Cup of Nations every four years, announcing that the tournament will return to its traditional two-year cycle.
The CAF Executive Committee unanimously decided to reinstate the biennial AFCON, a move CAF President Patrice Motsepe had signaled earlier this month at a conference in Cape Verde. Motsepe said the decision aims to "advance, protect and promote the interests of African football and the 54 CAF Member Associations, as well as those of African players playing for clubs outside the continent." CAF said the proposed CAF Nations League, which was to become the continent's biennial competition, would take years to generate enough revenue to sustain African football.
AFCON had traditionally been staged every two years until CAF's surprise decision last December to move to a four-year cycle, which was not widely welcomed. The next edition will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda in 2027, with subsequent tournaments scheduled for 2028, 2031, and 2033. No tournament will be held in 2030, with CAF maintaining its tradition of not staging the tournament in a World Cup year.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- AFCON's format directly affects scheduling for African football clubs and players, with a biennial cycle ensuring more frequent continental competition.
- The reversal signals CAF's responsiveness to member associations and stakeholders after the quadrennial plan faced criticism.
- It preserves AFCON's role as a regular showcase for African talent and a revenue driver for the sport.
Background
AFCON has traditionally been held every two years since its inception. CAF's decision last December to shift to a four-year cycle was not widely welcomed, leading to this reversal. The next edition in 2027 will be the first jointly hosted by three nations: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
What to Watch
- The success of the first three-nation co-hosted AFCON in 2027.
- Whether the CAF Nations League eventually launches and how it complements AFCON.
- Financial sustainability of African football and CAF's revenue-generation efforts.
Checked
10 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedAFCON is returning to a two-year cycle after CAF reversed its four-year plan.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be held every two years, not four as was planned, governing body the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced after reversing an earlier decision.”
- SupportedThe governing body says the decision aims to protect the interests of African football.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““The decision by the CAF Executive Committee to reinstate the organization of the AFCON every two years aims to advance, protect and promote the interests of African football and the 54 CAF Member Associations, as well as those of African players playing for clubs outside the continent,” Motsepe said in a statement.”
- SupportedCAF’s Executive Committee unanimously decided to reinstate AFCON every two years.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee today unanimously decided that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations will return to taking place every Two Years,” CAF said in a statement.”
- SupportedMotsepe had signaled the reversal earlier this month at a conference in Cape Verde.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “CAF President Patrice Motsepe said at a strategy conference in Cape Verde earlier this month that the organisation was considering returning AFCON to a two-year cycle.”
- SupportedMotsepe said the decision aims to “advance, protect and promote the interests of African football and the 54 CAF Member Associations, as well as those of African players playing for clubs outside the continent.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““The decision by the CAF Executive Committee to reinstate the organization of the AFCON every two years aims to advance, protect and promote the interests of African football and the 54 CAF Member Associations, as well as those of African players playing for clubs outside the continent,” Motsepe said in a statement.”
- SupportedCAF said the proposed CAF Nations League was to become the continent’s biennial competition.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Under the previous plan, AFCON would have moved to a four-year cycle, with the proposed CAF Nations League becoming the continent’s biennial competition.”
- SupportedCAF said the Nations League would take years to generate enough revenue to sustain African football.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “CAF said the Nations League would take years to generate enough revenue to sustain African football.”
- SupportedAFCON had traditionally been staged every two years before CAF’s surprise decision last December to move to a four-year cycle, which was not widely welcomed.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “AFCON has traditionally been staged every two years, but CAF’s surprise decision last December to move to a four-year cycle was not widely welcomed.”
- SupportedKenya, Tanzania and Uganda will co-host the 2027 edition, with subsequent tournaments in 2028, 2031 and 2033.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will cohost the next edition in 2027, with subsequent tournaments to be held in 2028, 2031 and 2033.”
- SupportedThere will be no AFCON in 2030, consistent with CAF’s tradition of not staging the tournament in a World Cup year.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “There will be no AFCON in 2030, with CAF maintaining its tradition of not staging the tournament in a World Cup year.”