The Confederation of African Football announced on Friday 30 October that its Executive Committee had unanimously decided to return the Africa Cup of Nations to its usual two-year cycle, one year after deciding to turn it into a four-yearly tournament. The announcement came in an official statement from the body, restoring the continental competition to its historic rhythm.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe had indicated earlier in the same month that the body would review last year’s decision to make the AFCON every four years. In the statement, Motsepe explained that CAF was concerned about the number of years before the proposed Africa Nations League, designed along the lines of the current AFCON, would deliver the financial contributions and returns needed to develop African football.
What does the decision mean for national teams and fans?
The next edition will be held as scheduled in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, followed by editions in 2028, 2031 and 2033. The gap between 2028 and 2031 is three years, according to Motsepe, to avoid the 2030 World Cup coinciding with the Africa Cup of Nations in the same year.
For Arab and North African fans, this means the return of annual interest in the continent’s most followed competition, with the 2027 edition in East Africa and the 2028 edition whose venue has not yet been announced. The closer editions also reschedule qualifiers and affect national teams’ preparations, especially those relying on players based in Europe.
As for the 2025 edition, the winner still needs a final resolution. Senegal were crowned on the pitch on 18 January in Rabat after beating Morocco 1-0 at the end of a match that saw a large number of Senegalese leave the stadium in protest at the refereeing. CAF’s Appeal Committee then awarded the win to Morocco on the green carpet, but the Senegalese federation turned to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, whose decision is expected at the end of November.
InfoSport figures
- 2027: the next edition in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
- 3 years: the gap between the 2028 and 2031 editions to avoid clashing with the 2030 World Cup.
- 1-0: the result of the 2025 final between Morocco and Senegal before the appeal decision.
It is worth noting that the decision to return to the two-year system restores stability to CAF’s calendar after the legal and financial controversy that accompanied the four-year decision. The question now is: will the CAS ruling end the debate over the 2025 title before the qualifiers for the next editions begin? Share your predictions in the comments.
