AFCON to switch to four-year cycle

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be played every four years starting in 2028, Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Dr Patrice Motsepe said on Saturday.  

The decision by CAF’s Executive Committee means that after the 2027 edition in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the four-year cycle begins in 2028, with the next edition to take place in 2032.  

Dr Motsepe announced the change in Rabat ahead of the 2025 AFCON, which kicks off on Sunday.  

He also unveiled plans for a new African Nations League (ANL), which would begin in 2029 and be played during FIFA windows in September and October, with finals scheduled for November each year.  

The competition would include 54 teams from four geographical zones, with the North, Western, Central, and Southern regions generating winners who would compete later in the competition.    

“We want to make sure that there will be synchronisation with the global calendar so that the African players are released by their clubs during the FIFA International window for the African Nations League,” Motsepe said.

He added that the move would “create more commercial viability and attraction and more partners coming on board,” noting that the ANL would be run in partnership with FIFA.

Source: GNA