Patrice Motsepe, the South African billionaire who leads the Confederation of African Football, championed a plan to reshape the Africa Cup of Nations. In December 2024, CAF announced that the tournament would move from its traditional two-year rhythm to a four-year cycle from 2028, while a new African Nations League would become the continent’s biennial competition from 2029.
That plan is over. CAF announced on Friday, 30 October 2026 that its Executive Committee had unanimously voted the previous day to restore the Africa Cup of Nations, also known as AFCON, to a two-year hosting cycle.
The central problem was financial. CAF said the proposed Nations League would need several years to produce enough revenue to sustain African football.
Motsepe had already signalled the change in direction at a CAF Strategy Conference in Cape Verde, held from 7-9 October 2026. He said the Executive Committee would reassess the four-year decision.
CAF had also asked all 54 member associations to choose between a two-year and four-year AFCON cycle, with responses due by 28 October 2026.
The four-year proposal had attracted criticism during the 2025 AFCON in Morocco. Stakeholders argued that it reflected the preferences of European clubs more closely than the needs of African football.
That tension remains part of the tournament’s calendar. The biennial AFCON has long created difficulties because the vast majority of recent editions have been played in the middle of the European club season.
CAF’s own figures pointed to an expanding audience beyond the continent. In March, it said the most recent tournament had recorded 61% growth in audiences across European, Asian and South American markets compared with the 2024 edition, while media-rights revenue from those markets had risen 35%.
The next AFCON will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in 2027. Further editions are scheduled for 2028, 2031 and 2033, with no tournament in 2030 because of the World Cup.
Senegal were crowned champions of the 2025 AFCON final, then stripped of the title three months later in favour of Morocco.
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