CAF Reverses Decision to Hold AFCON Every 4 Years, Returns to 2-Year Cycle
- CAF unanimously voted to scrap its December 2024 decision that would have moved AFCON to a four-year schedule
- The reversal came after concerns that a proposed African Nations League would take years to become financially self-sufficient
- CAF president Patrice Motsepe cited the interests of African players and member associations as key reasons behind the U-turn
PAY ATTENTION: Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng!
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has scrapped its plan to hold the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) every four years, restoring the tournament to its traditional two-year schedule following a unanimous vote by its Executive Committee.
CAF announced the reversal on Friday, October 30, walking back a decision made in December 2024 that would have shifted AFCON to a four-year cycle beginning in 2028.
Source: Getty Images
Under that earlier plan, a new competition called the African Nations League was set to fill the gap as a biennial tournament, making its debut in 2029.
Why CAF changed to 2-year cycle
CAF president Patrice Motsepe said the governing body had grown concerned about how long it would take the proposed African Nations League to generate enough revenue to sustain itself, per CAF's official website.
"We were also concerned by the several years required before the proposed new Africa Nations League Pan-African competition could make the substantial financial and football development contributions for African football and CAF competitions to be globally competitive and self-supporting," Motsepe said in a statement.
He added that restoring the two-year cycle was driven by a desire to protect African football and its 54 member associations, as well as the interests of African players based at clubs outside the continent.
According to BBC Sport, the original four-year proposal had drawn criticism at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, with several stakeholders arguing it was shaped more by the preferences of European clubs than by the needs of African football.
AFCON schedule going forward
The next AFCON will proceed as planned in 2027, hosted jointly by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Subsequent editions are scheduled for 2028, 2031, and 2033.
There will be no tournament in 2030, in line with the longstanding practice of not holding continental championships in FIFA World Cup years.
"The forthcoming FIFA World Cup will take place in 2030 and in accordance with the FIFA tradition, the final tournament of the AFCON and other confederation's national teams competitions may not take place during the year of the FIFA World Cup," Motsepe said.
The biennial format has historically created friction with the European club football calendar, as most recent AFCON editions have been held during the middle of the European season.
FIFA's expanded 48-team Club World Cup, held in June and July of last year, further complicated scheduling and pushed CAF towards mid-season dates.
CAF had signalled in October that it was reconsidering the four-year proposal before Friday's formal announcement confirmed the full reversal.
The 2025 AFCON final itself ended in controversy, with Senegal initially crowned champions before being stripped of the title three months later in favour of Morocco.
CAF puts pressure on FAs for AFCON U-turn
Legit.ng previously reported about CAF’s request for all 54 member associations to choose between a two-year and four-year AFCON cycle, with responses due by 28 October 2026.
The proposed four-year cycle has faced strong backlash from across African football, as critics warn that fewer tournaments could weaken AFCON’s identity and keep fans waiting longer for the continent’s biggest football event.
Source: Legit.ng
