CAF Confirms Shift to Four-Year AFCON Cycle After 2028 Tournament

African football is set for a historic transformation as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will move from its traditional two-year cycle to a four-year format after the 2028 edition.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe announced the landmark decision on Saturday, describing it as part of a broader strategy to align African competitions with an increasingly crowded global football calendar.

Speaking to journalists in Rabat, on the eve of the opening match of the Morocco-hosted AFCON, Motsepe said the reform is aimed at striking a better balance between competitiveness, player welfare, and financial sustainability.

“Our focus now is on this AFCON, but in 2027 we will be going to Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, and the AFCON after that will be in 2028,” Motsepe said.

“Then after the FIFA Club World Cup in 2029 we will have the first African Nations League… with more prize money, more resources, and more competition.

“As part of this arrangement, the AFCON now will take place once every four years.”

End of a Long-Standing Tradition

For decades, AFCON has been staged every two years, a tradition dating back to the tournament’s inaugural edition in 1957. While the frequent schedule provided consistent revenue for national football associations, it also caused persistent clashes with European leagues and FIFA competitions, a problem that has grown more pronounced over the last 15 years.

CAF believes the new structure will reduce calendar congestion while allowing players to perform at their best on the continent’s biggest stage.

African Nations League to Fill the Gap

To offset the reduced frequency of AFCON tournaments, CAF plans to introduce an African Nations League, modelled after UEFA’s Nations League, which has been commercially and competitively successful in Europe.

The new competition is expected to run annually, offering increased prize money, more competitive fixtures, and additional revenue streams for African football federations.

A New Era for African Football

The ongoing tournament in Morocco marks the eighth AFCON edition since 2012, when Equatorial Guinea and Gabon co-hosted the competition.

With the shift to a four-year AFCON cycle and the introduction of the African Nations League, CAF says African football is entering a new era—one designed to be more competitive, more lucrative, and better integrated with the global football ecosystem.