CAF reverses AFCON 4-year cycle, restores biennial tournament
By Tosin Omojola
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reversed its decision to hold the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) every four years, restoring the tournament’s traditional two-year cycle.
The CAF Executive Committee announced the decision on Friday, confirming that the next edition will take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, followed by subsequent tournaments in 2028, 2031 and 2033.
CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, announced at the CAF Strategy Conference in Cabo Verde that the Executive Committee would review and reconsider its decision, taken last year, to move the AFCON to a four-year cycle.
In a statement issued late Thursday, CAF said the review was prompted, among other considerations, by the recognition that the proposed Africa Nations League, a new pan-African competition intended to replace the current AFCON format and hold tournaments every two years, would require several years to generate the substantial financial resources needed to make CAF competitions and African football globally competitive and self-sustaining.
Motsepe said the decision to restore the biennial AFCON cycle was guided by the need to protect and promote the interests of African football, CAF’s 54 member associations and African players employed by clubs outside the continent.
He explained that the proposed Africa Nations League would take several years to deliver the expected financial and football development benefits required to strengthen African football and make CAF competitions globally competitive and self-sustaining.
“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,” he said.
Motsepe added that the 2031 and 2033 editions would be scheduled to avoid clashing with the 2030 FIFA World Cup, in line with the established practice of not holding the final tournaments of continental national team competitions during a FIFA World Cup year.
He also described the AFCON as an important platform for celebrating African football, the continent’s rich and diverse cultures, customs and traditions, while bringing together people from Africa’s 54 countries, the diaspora and across the world.
According to him, the decision reflects the best interests of African football and CAF’s 54 member associations and will contribute significantly to the development and growth of the game across the continent.
