Confederation of African Football president, Patrice Motsepe, has revealed that the organisation is considering reverting to a two-year cycle for the Africa Cup of Nations, months after announcing plans to hold the competition every four years from 2028.
Motsepe disclosed the development on Friday while speaking at a CAF strategy conference in Cape Verde, indicating that the continental football governing body was reviewing its earlier decision.
“We’ve discussed it over the last few days. We are looking at everything including having the AFCON coming back every two years. We are very clear,” Motsepe said.
CAF had announced in December 2025 that the tournament would move from its traditional biennial schedule to a four-year cycle.
The organisation had also proposed introducing an African Nations League to fill the gaps created by the revised calendar.
The initial plan followed years of discussions about restructuring African football competitions, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino having advocated for AFCON to be held every four years in early 2020.
However, Motsepe’s latest comments suggest that the proposed changes may be reconsidered.
The uncertainty comes as preparations continue for the 2027 edition, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
CAF has also commenced the bidding process for the subsequent tournament, although the long-term competition schedule remains unsettled.
Despite concerns about preparations for the 2027 competition, Motsepe expressed confidence that the three host countries would deliver a successful tournament, acknowledging that challenges involving venues would be addressed.
“We are going to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda next year. It’s going to be enormously successful,” he said.
Motsepe also defended Africa’s capacity to host major football competitions, recalling the concerns surrounding Cameroon ahead of the 2021 AFCON, which was eventually staged in 2022 because of a postponement.
“When I became president, the first thing they said to me was: ‘Cancel Cameroon. They are not ready; the stadiums are not ready.’ I said, ‘I don’t come from that culture. I come from a culture of believing in Africa.'”
The CAF president maintained that each edition held under his leadership had surpassed previous tournaments in terms of success, as the organisation continues to assess the future structure of its flagship national team competition.
