Sports

CAF Keeps Africa Cup of Nations Biennial, Reversing Four-Year Plan

The Africa Cup of Nations will stay a two-yearly tournament, the Confederation of African Football announced on Thursday, reversing a December decision to move to a four-year cycle — with the next edition co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in 2027.

By Pawartaenggal Newsroom • Saturday, 31 October 2026

Guinea's Moriba Kourouma challenged by Senegal's Pape Matar Sarr at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations

Photo: Sydney Mahlangu / BackpagePix / Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Photo shows a 2023 AFCON match between Guinea and Senegal, not a future biennial tournament match.

The Africa Cup of Nations will be held every two years, not four as was planned, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Thursday after reversing an earlier decision.

AFCON has traditionally been staged every two years, but CAF's surprise decision last December to move to a four-year cycle was not widely welcomed.

"The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee today unanimously decided that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations will return to taking place every Two Years," CAF said in a statement.

Under the previous plan, AFCON would have moved to a four-year cycle, with the proposed CAF Nations League becoming the continent's biennial competition. CAF said the Nations League would take years to generate enough revenue to sustain African football.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe had said at a strategy conference in Cape Verde earlier this month that the organisation was considering returning AFCON to a two-year cycle.

"The decision by the CAF Executive Committee to reinstate the organization of the AFCON every two years aims to advance, protect and promote the interests of African football and the 54 CAF Member Associations, as well as those of African players playing for clubs outside the continent," Motsepe said in a statement.

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will co-host the next edition in 2027, with subsequent tournaments to be held in 2028, 2031 and 2033. There will be no AFCON in 2030, with CAF maintaining its tradition of not staging the tournament in a World Cup year.

Source: Reuters

CAF Keeps Africa Cup of Nations Biennial, Reversing Four-Year Plan

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