The Africa Cup of Nations will move to a four-year cycle starting in 2028, Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has announced.
Afcon has been staged every two years since 1968, apart from a one-year gap between the 2012 and 2013 editions. After the 2027 tournament in East Africa and a further edition in 2028, the competition will become quadrennial, aligning with the same calendar year as the European Championship.
Instead, Caf will launch a new annual competition — the African Nations League — beginning in 2029.
“We have the most exciting new structure for African football,” Motsepe said. “I do what is in the interests of Africa. The global calendar has to be significantly more synchronised and harmonised.”
Caf also confirmed an increase in prize money for Afcon winners, raising it from $7 million (£5.2m) to $10 million (£7.5m).
The announcement followed a Caf executive committee meeting in Morocco ahead of the 2025 finals in Rabat. Afcon’s biennial schedule has frequently clashed with the European club season, as most recent editions have been played in January and February.
Although Caf had committed to moving the tournament to a June-July window starting with the 2019 edition in Egypt, the Covid-19 pandemic and weather concerns in host nations such as Cameroon (2021) and Ivory Coast (2023) forced returns to mid-season dates. This year’s expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, staged in June and July, has again complicated scheduling.
As a result, the 2025 Afcon in Morocco will be played over Christmas and New Year for the first time, with the final set for 18 January. Dates for the 2027 finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have not yet been confirmed, and the host nation for the 2028 edition is still to be decided.
Motsepe said the decision to shift Afcon to a four-year cycle was taken in consultation with Gianni Infantino and Fifa general secretary Mattias Grafström, acknowledging that Caf “have to compromise.”
African Nations League to begin in 2029
The newly created African Nations League will be held annually from 2029 during the September, October and November international windows.
All 54 Caf member associations will be divided into four regional zones: six teams in the North and 16 each in the East, West, and Central and Southern regions. Regional matches will take place in September and October, with the four zone champions meeting in November to determine the overall winner.
Motsepe described the competition as “the equivalent of an Afcon every year” and said it will be organized in partnership with Fifa to attract major sponsors.
“Every year in Africa, the best African players who play in Europe will be with us on the continent,” he said. “Every year we will have a competition with 54 African nations with all the best players coming here to play. We are going to have a world-class competition every year.”
