RABAT, Morocco — The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will transition to a four-year cycle beginning in 2028, ending more than six decades of biennial competition, African football chief Patrice Motsepe announced Saturday.
The Confederation of African Football president unveiled the dramatic change as part of a comprehensive restructuring of continental football designed to better align African competitions with the crowded global calendar and ease conflicts with European club seasons.
The shift marks a significant departure from tradition. AFCON has been held at two-year intervals since its inaugural edition in 1957, providing crucial revenue streams for African national associations.
To offset lost income from less frequent Cup of Nations tournaments, CAF will launch an annual African Nations League competition modeled after UEFA’s format, Motsepe said in Rabat on the eve of Morocco’s tournament opener.
“Our focus now is on this AFCON, but in 2027 we will be going to Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, and the AFCON after that will be in 2028,” Motsepe told reporters. “Then, after the FIFA Club World Cup in 2029, we will have the first African Nations League… with more prize money, more resources, more competition.”
CAF will open bidding for nations interested in hosting the 2028 Cup of Nations.
Nations League to Replace Biennial Revenue
The new annual Nations League will feature regional divisions, with 16 teams each in eastern, western and central-southern zones, and six teams in the northern zone. Matches will take place in September and October, with top teams from each zone advancing to November finals held at a single location.
Motsepe said the restructuring ensures “the football calendar worldwide is more in harmony” while addressing the persistent challenge of releasing African players from European clubs mid-season.
“Of course, our primary duty is to African football, but we also have a duty to the players from Africa playing for the best clubs in Europe,” he said. “We want to make sure that there is more synchronization and that the global calendar allows the best African players every year to be in Africa.”
Scheduling Conflicts Drive Change
For 15 years, AFCON has struggled to find a suitable calendar slot that satisfies both African football needs and European club interests.
The tournament traditionally took place in January and February, forcing major European clubs to release African stars during the heart of their seasons. The 2019 edition in Egypt shifted to June and July to accommodate European club concerns, but subsequent tournaments in Cameroon (2022) and Ivory Coast (2024) reverted to early-year dates to avoid rainy seasons in those regions.
This year’s Morocco-hosted tournament was originally scheduled for June and July but moved when FIFA introduced its expanded Club World Cup in the United States for those months. CAF could not postpone until June 2026 because of the World Cup, and January-February dates no longer work due to the new UEFA Champions League format.
The solution: start in December and extend into the New Year, when some European leagues break but England’s Premier League maintains a packed schedule.
“I can’t have players leaving their clubs in Europe in the mid-season. It’s wrong,” Motsepe said. “We’ve got a duty to the players. We know how frustrating it is for the players when their club says they are needed but they are also needed for the country.”
Previous Proposals Rejected
FIFA President Gianni Infantino previously proposed moving AFCON to a four-year cycle, but CAF rejected the idea because of heavy reliance on tournament revenues.
The timing controversy has persisted for years as African players face conflicting loyalties between national teams and European clubs that pay their salaries. Moving the tournament to mid-year in 2019 was supposed to resolve the tension, but practical concerns about weather and infrastructure repeatedly pushed competitions back to traditional early-year slots.
“It’s unfair for us to the players,” Motsepe said. “We are solving this problem for us in Africa and for our African players.”
Prize Money Increased
Winners of the current Morocco tournament will receive $10 million, up from $7 million awarded to Ivory Coast when they captured the 2024 title.
The prize money increase represents CAF’s effort to maintain competitive incentives despite reducing tournament frequency.
This year’s Morocco competition will be the eighth AFCON held since the 2012 edition in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, reflecting the tournament’s recent struggles with calendar placement.
The 2027 tournament will be jointly hosted by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda before the new four-year cycle takes effect with the 2028 edition.
The restructuring represents CAF’s most significant reform in decades, acknowledging the reality that African football must adapt to global commercial pressures while preserving competitive opportunities and revenue streams for the continent’s national associations and players.
Punchng/Reuters
