CAF restores two-year AFCON cycle over revenue concerns
CAF has reversed its planned move to a four-year Africa Cup of Nations cycle, citing the tournament’s financial importance and the time needed for a proposed replacement competition to generate sufficient revenue.
The Confederation of African Football has voted unanimously to restore a two-year Africa Cup of Nations cycle, abandoning its planned switch to a four-year schedule.The decision follows consultation with CAF’s 54 member associations and concerns that a proposed African Nations League would take several years to generate the income needed to support the confederation’s competitions and development programmes.CAF president Patrice Motsepe said: “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.“We were also concerned by the several years required before the proposed new Africa Nations League Pan-African competition, which was supposed to be identical to the current AFCON and take place every two years, could make the substantial financial and football development contributions for African football and CAF competitions to be globally competitive and self-supporting.”The reversal preserves AFCON’s central role in CAF’s commercial model, with the established tournament retaining responsibility for generating funding while the proposed new competition remains unproven.CAF had announced the four-year plan in December 2025, but Motsepe signalled a reassessment at its strategy conference in Cabo Verde earlier this month.Member associations were subsequently asked to recommend whether the tournament should take place every two or four years, with submissions closing before the executive committee’s decision.The revised calendar includes an unusual transition, with tournaments scheduled in consecutive years in 2027 and 2028 before a three-year gap to 2031.Motsepe said: “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. The subsequent AFCONs thereafter will take place in 2028, 2031 and 2033.“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 confederations’ national teams competitions may not take place during the year of the FIFA World Cup.”The announcement therefore restores the principle of a biennial tournament while setting out a timetable that will not settle into that rhythm immediately.For broadcasters, sponsors and prospective hosts, the decision changes the long-term competition inventory envisaged under the four-year proposal, although CAF has not detailed any resulting changes to commercial agreements.The statement also leaves the future timetable and format of the proposed African Nations League unresolved.Motsepe maintained that the reversal would support the wider game, saying: “The CAF EXCO decision is in the best interest of African football and CAF’s 54 member associations and will also contribute significantly to the development and growth of football in Africa.”