Africa’s biggest football competition, AFCON, will now be staged every four years from 2028, CAF president Patrice Motsepe announced on Saturday, www.aclsports.com reports.
The tournament, which has been held every two years since 1968, has had just a one-year gap between the 2012 and 2013 editions. It will now switch to a four-year cycle after the 2027 edition in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda (PAMOJA) and a 2028 edition with an unnamed host.
Motsepe announced in a press conference before the kick-off of the 2025 AFCON in Morocco. He went on to announce the creation of an African Nations League, which will take place annually from 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.”
Meanwhile, Caf has increased the prize money for the winners of Afcon from $7m to $10m.
AFCON’s two-year cycle has repeatedly disrupted the football calendar, largely because most recent editions have been staged in the middle of the European club campaign.
Meanwhile, the dates for the 2027 tournament in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda have not yet been confirmed. Attention will then quickly shift to the 2028 AFCON, whose host nation is still to be determined.
Motsepe, who said the decision was made in conjunction with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the world governing body’s General Secretary, Mattias Grafstrom, announced the creation of the African Nations League, which will kick off in 2029.
“Every year in Africa, the best African players who play in Europe will be with us on the continent,” Motsepe said about the new tournament.
“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.”
The fixtures will be scheduled for September and October, after which the regional winners will face off in November to determine the ultimate champion.
