CAF reverses course, Africa Cup of Nations returns to a two-year cycle

A reversal of the December plan

The Confederation of African Football's Executive Committee voted unanimously on Thursday, 29 October, to revoke its decision to hold the Africa Cup of Nations every four years. CAF had announced that change in December 2025, with the four-year cycle starting in 2028 and a proposed African Nations League taking the biennial slot from 2029. In early October, at a strategy conference in Cape Verde, CAF President Patrice Motsepe had said the matter was being reconsidered. The organisation has now confirmed that the tournament will return to its traditional two-year rhythm.

Why CAF changed course

CAF said the proposed Nations League would need several years before it could generate the financial resources needed to make its competitions globally competitive and self-sufficient. Motsepe's statement also named the interests of African football, the 54 member associations and African players based at clubs outside the continent. The December plan had rankled many in Morocco, host of the 2025 tournament, with some arguing it served European interests. BBC reported that the biennial calendar had long clashed with European club seasons, since most recent tournaments were held midway through the season. FIFA's expanded 32-team Club World Cup, held in June and July this year, had also pushed CAF toward mid-season dates.

Motsepe put the decision in these terms:

“The decision by the Executive Committee to reinstate the organisation of the Afcon every two years aims to advance, protect and promote the interests of African football.”

The calendar ahead

The next tournament is scheduled for 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, which will host it jointly. Further editions are set for 2028, 2031 and 2033. There will be no tournament in 2030, when the FIFA World Cup takes place. The three-year gap between 2028 and 2031 follows FIFA's tradition that the AFCON and other confederations' national team competitions do not fall in a World Cup year, according to Motsepe. The change keeps the tournament in step with that calendar rule while restoring the biennial schedule.

The 2025 title remains open

Senegal beat hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time in the 2025 final in Rabat. CAF later ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match after its players walked off in protest at a penalty awarded to Morocco, which was then missed. Senegal's federation referred the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS). 20minutes reported that a ruling on who will be named the 2025 champion is expected at the end of November, so the title remains officially unresolved.