In a major potential U-turn, CAF President Patrice Motsepe has revealed that the Confederation of African Football is reconsidering its decision to move the Africa Cup of Nations to a four-year cycle, and could bring it back to its traditional two-year format.
Speaking in a briefing this week, Motsepe said the biennial format is officially under review.
“We are looking into bringing AFCON back to every two years. That’s under review,” Motsepe said.
BACKGROUND
This comes just months after Motsepe announced the opposite on the eve of AFCON 2025 in Morocco. At that time, CAF confirmed that after the 2027 edition in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) and an extra edition in 2028, AFCON would move to every four years, similar to the Euros.
The decision was framed as part of a wider restructuring to synchronize with the global FIFA calendar, reduce club-vs-country conflicts with European clubs, and give hosts more preparation time.
To replace the revenue and regular competition, CAF announced an annual African Nations League from 2029.
The move was met with heavy backlash across the continent. Coaches like Mali’s Tom Saintfiet called it “totally wrong”, and many fans and former players accused CAF of caving to pressure from FIFA and European clubs.
WHY THE REVERSAL IS BEING CONSIDERED
1. Financial pressure: AFCON is CAF’s biggest source of revenue and vital income for member federations. The Nations League has not yet secured comparable commercial deals.
2. Fan demand: The biennial AFCON has been the continent’s flagship tournament since 1968 and is seen as the heartbeat of African football.
3. Competitive access: With plans to expand AFCON from 24 to 28 teams, a four-year wait would mean many nations miss out for long periods.
No final decision has been made yet. CAF’s Executive Committee is expected to make a final recommendation after consultations with federations, players’ unions, and FIFA before the 2027 qualifiers begin.
If approved, AFCON would return to a 2029, 2031 cycle instead of the planned long gap until 2032.
