The Confederation of African Football has announced that the Africa Cup of Nations will continue to be held every two years, reversing its earlier plan to introduce a four-year competition cycle.
The decision was unanimously approved by the CAF Executive Committee following a reassessment of the proposed changes to the continent’s football calendar.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe announced the development after the organisation’s Strategy Conference held in Cabo Verde between October 7 and 9, 2026.
The earlier proposal was to organise AFCON every four years while introducing an Africa Nations League competition every two years.
However, CAF said the proposed alternative would take several years to generate the financial resources and football development benefits required to strengthen the continent’s football industry.
Explaining the decision in a statement published on CAF’s website, Motsepe said the governing body prioritised the interests of African football, its 54 member associations and players representing clubs outside the continent.
He said, “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.”
Motsepe added that the proposed Africa Nations League would require considerable time to deliver the expected financial and developmental gains.
Under the revised calendar, the next AFCON tournament will take place in 2027, with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda jointly hosting the competition.
Subsequent editions are scheduled for 2028, 2031 and 2033, with CAF maintaining that the tournament’s final stages will not coincide with the FIFA World Cup.
Expressing confidence in the three East African hosts, Motsepe said, “The next TotalEnergies CAF AFCON will take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and I am confident that it will be very successful.”
He explained that the scheduling arrangement also considers the 2030 FIFA World Cup, noting that major continental national team competitions should not hold their final tournaments in the same year as the global football event.
The CAF president further described AFCON as more than a football competition, saying it provides an opportunity to celebrate Africa’s cultural diversity and strengthen connections among people across the continent and its diaspora.
He said, “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 maintained that returning to the biennial format would promote the growth of football across Africa and strengthen the continent’s football associations.
The latest decision marks a reversal of CAF’s proposed competition restructuring and retains AFCON’s position as the continent’s flagship national team tournament.
