Official: AFCON every two years is making a comeback

CAF has already decided to backtrack

AFCON Today at 04:34

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Official: AFCON every two years is making a comeback

If CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe announced it at the CAF Strategic Conference held in Cape Verde from 7 to 9 October 2026, it is now official.

The CAF president had announced that the Executive Committee would reconsider the decision made last year to move AFCON to a four-year cycle. This reconsideration was prompted by the realization that the proposed new pan-African competition, the Nations League, which was set to replace the current AFCON and be held every two years, would require several years before it could generate the substantial financial resources essential to enabling CAF competitions and African football to be competitive on the global stage and financially self-sufficient.

Patrice Motsepe confirms AFCON's return to a two-year cycle

To make the decision official, CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe said:

"The decision by the CAF Executive Committee to reinstate the organization of AFCON every two years is intended to advance, protect and promote the interests of African football and CAF's 54 Member Associations, as well as those of African players competing for clubs outside the continent. We were also concerned about the number of years that would be needed before the proposed new pan-African competition, the Nations League, designed to be identical to the current AFCON and held every two years, could provide the substantial financial contributions and returns necessary for the development of African football, in order to make CAF competitions competitive on the global stage and financially self-sufficient," he said.

Le Comité exécutif de la Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) a décidé à l’unanimité, ce jeudi, que la Coupe d’Afrique des Nations (CAN) se tiendra de nouveau tous les deux ans. Le président de la CAF, Dr Patrice Motsepe, avait annoncé, lors de la Conférence stratégique de la CAF organisée au Cap-Vert du 7 au 9 octobre 2026, que le Comité Exécutif réexaminerait la décision prise l’année dernière de faire passer la CAN à un cycle quadriennal. https://t.co/AeYNbqoFUi
— CAF Media (@CAF_Media) October 30, 2026

He continued: "The next edition of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations will take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and I am convinced that it will be a great success. The subsequent editions will be held in 2028, 2031 and 2033. The decision by the CAF Executive Committee best serves the interests of African football and CAF's 54 Member Associations. It will also make a significant contribution to the development and growth of football in Africa."

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Joshua SOSSOU

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As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.