CAF has put the Africa Cup of Nations back on a two-year cycle, dropping a four-year plan announced in December.
CAF's executive committee approved the return unanimously, the confederation said. It restores the rhythm the tournament has followed for decades and shelves a model that would have made a new Nations League the continent's biennial competition.
At CAF's Strategy Conference in Cabo Verde from October 7 to 9, 2026, Patrice Motsepe announced the change. The four-year plan it replaces had been announced the previous December.
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
Under the abandoned plan, AFCON would have been staged every four years, with the proposed CAF Nations League becoming the competition held every two years. Before reversing course, CAF reviewed the arrangement.
The decision by the CAF EXCO that the CAF AFCON should take place every Two Years was based on advancing, protecting and promoting the interest of African Football and CAF's 54 Member Associations, as well as the interest of African players employed by Football Clubs outside Africa
Why CAF changed course
CAF said the Nations League proposal would need several years to provide the funding and football development gains required for its competitions to compete globally and remain financially sustainable. The stated reason is money and time.
Put more simply, the new competition would take years to bring in enough revenue to sustain African football, and CAF acknowledged it would need several years to become self-sufficient.
Motsepe said CAF was concerned the Africa Nations League would take too long to deliver the financial and developmental gains initially expected. Planned to mirror AFCON's format, with matches every two years, the tournament wouldn't give African football the support it needs in the near future.
The December move to a four-year cycle drew a mixed response. Motsepe had already indicated at the Cabo Verde conference that CAF was weighing a return to two years, telling the gathering this before the announcement followed.
The plan CAF dropped and the one it kept
Four-year model
Announced in December
- AFCON every four years
- Proposed CAF Nations League as the biennial competition
- Abandoned after review
Two-year model
Restored this month
- AFCON every two years
- Editions in 2027, 2028, 2031 and 2033
- No tournament in World Cup year 2030
What the calendar now looks like
The next AFCON, in 2027, will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Further editions are scheduled for 2028, 2031 and 2033.
There will be no AFCON in 2030. That's in keeping with CAF's tradition of not holding the tournament in a year when the FIFA World Cup takes place.
- DecemberFour-year plan announced
CAF says AFCON will be held every four years.
- 7-9 October 2026Cabo Verde conference
CAF holds its Strategy Conference; Motsepe says a return to two years is under consideration.
- October 2026Reversal
The executive committee votes unanimously to restore the two-year cycle.
- 2027Next AFCON
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda host.
- 2028Following edition
The second tournament of the restored cycle.
- 2030No AFCON
CAF does not stage the tournament in a World Cup year.
- 2031 and 2033Later editions
Both are already scheduled.
The two-year rhythm has long sat awkwardly with the football calendar. Most recent AFCON tournaments have been staged midway through the European club season. FIFA's expanded 32-team Club World Cup, held in June and July last year, also pushed CAF towards mid-season dates.
There has been administrative turbulence, too. Senegal were crowned champions in a dramatic 2025 final, then stripped of the title three months later in favour of Morocco.
Who the decision is meant to serve
Motsepe framed the call as one for the confederation's members and for players based abroad, the two groups most affected by when the tournament falls.
Motsepe said the interests of CAF's 54 member associations, along with those of African players employed by clubs outside the continent, drove the reversal.
The CAF EXCO decision is in the best interest of African Football and CAF's 54 Member Associations and will also contribute significantly to the development and growth of football in Africa
He described the tournament as something larger than a competition.
The AFCON competition is also about celebrating African Football and Africa's rich and diverse cultures, customs and traditions and bringing people together from Africa's 54 Countries, the African Diaspora and throughout the world
Motsepe said he was confident the three East African hosts can deliver a successful tournament in 2027.
What we know
- AFCON returns to a two-year cycle after a unanimous executive committee vote.
- The 2027 tournament will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
- Editions are scheduled for 2028, 2031 and 2033, with none in 2030.
- CAF has 54 member associations.
Still unclear
- The exact dates of the 2027 AFCON in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
- The exact dates of the 2028, 2031 and 2033 editions.
- Whether the proposed Africa Nations League will still launch, and on what schedule.
- The financial figures behind the expected Nations League revenue shortfall.
CAF has not published dates for the next fixed point, the 2027 tournament in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
