The Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unanimously decided to reinstate the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as a biennial tournament. This announcement, made in an official statement on October 30, reverses a decision taken the previous year to move the competition to a four-year cycle. CAF President Patrice Motsepe had indicated earlier in the month that the body would re-examine the shift to a quadrennial format, a process that has now concluded with the return to the traditional schedule.
Motsepe explained that the reversal was driven by concerns regarding the timeline required for a proposed new pan-African competition, the Nations League, to generate substantial financial contributions. The leadership determined that waiting for this new tournament to become financially viable and competitive on a global scale would delay necessary development for African football. Consequently, the next AFCON will take place as planned in 2027 across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Subsequent editions are scheduled for 2028, followed by 2031 and 2033.
A three-year interval between the 2028 and 2031 tournaments is specifically designed to prevent the AFCON from occurring in the same year as the 2030 World Cup. This scheduling adjustment addresses previous criticisms regarding the reduction of tournament frequency. Former Cameroon goalkeeper Joseph-Antoine Bell expressed satisfaction with the decision, arguing that the initial move to a four-year cycle was misleading because the promised replacement competition was not yet ready. He stated that exchanging an established biennial event for an unproven promise was unacceptable.
Gernot Rohr, the national coach of Benin and former Nigeria selector, also welcomed the change as a positive decision. He emphasized that the AFCON is a celebration of football that should not be restricted to once every four years. Rohr noted that the biennial format benefits infrastructure development on the continent, including roads and stadiums, while ensuring financial redistribution among member federations. He further suggested that the timing aligns with political considerations ahead of the FIFA elections in March 2027, potentially aiding FIFA President Gianni Infantino's re-election bid by securing African votes. This move effectively undoes the plan announced in December 2025 to hold the tournament every four years starting in 2028, a shift that had been interpreted as a concession to European clubs and FIFA interests.
Sources: RFI.