CAF Confirms AFCON Shift To Four-Year Format With African Nations League Introduction
The Africa Cup of Nations will move to a four-year cycle following a scheduled 2028 edition, ending its long-standing biennial format, Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe announced on Saturday.
The change forms part of a wider reorganisation of Africa’s international football calendar, designed to reduce fixture congestion and better align with global competitions. Although hosting AFCON every two years has traditionally been a key revenue stream for African national associations, Motsepe said the financial impact would be offset by the introduction of a new African Nations League.
“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 told reporters in Rabat on Saturday, ahead of the opening match of the Morocco-hosted tournament.
“Then after the FIFA Club World Cup in 2029 we will have the first African Nations League… with more prize money, more resources, more competition.
“As part of this arrangement, the AFCON now will take place once every four years.”
The African Nations League, expected to mirror UEFA’s competition, will be staged annually and is intended to generate increased funding while maintaining competitive opportunities for national teams.
AFCON has been held largely every two years since its first edition in 1957, but calendar clashes have become more frequent over the past 15 years as international and club competitions have expanded.
The ongoing tournament in Morocco is the eighth edition since the 2012 finals in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, reflecting a period marked by repeated scheduling challenges for Africa’s flagship football competition.
