CAF announces four-year AFCON cycle, African Nations League

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be held every four years from 2028, Confederation of African Football (CAF) president, Patrice Motsepe, has announced.

The tournament has taken place every two years since 1968, with a one-year gap between the 2012 and 2013 editions.

But it will switch to a four-year cycle after the 2027 Afcon in East Africa and a 2028 edition.

Motsepe has instead announced 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 (£5.2m) to $10m (£7.5m).

The surprise announcement about the future of Afcon was made by Motsepe after a meeting of CAF’s executive committee in Morocco before the start of the 2025 finals in Rabat on Sunday.

The biennial hosting of AFCON has long caused issues with the football calendar, with the vast majority of recent tournaments held midway through the European club season.

However, CAF remained committed to scheduling the tournament every two years, not least as it needs the revenue raised from the finals to reinvest in the game on the continent.

CAF had made a resolution for Afcon to be held in a June-July slot from 2019 onwards, and began its new plan in Egypt that year.

But the Covid-19 pandemic and weather conditions in host nations in Central and West Africa meant the 2021 and 2023 editions in Cameroon and the Ivory Coast, respectively, were staged in January and February instead.

FIFA’s expanded 32-team Club World Cup was held in June and July this year, forcing CAF to opt for mid-season dates once again.

As a result, this year’s AFCON in Morocco will take place over Christmas and the New Year for the first time, with the final on 18 January.

The dates for the finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in 2027 are yet to be announced, and that will be swiftly followed by another AFCON in 2028 – with the hosts of that edition yet to be decided.

After that, the continent’s biggest tournament will become a quadrennial tournament taking place in the same year as the European Championships.

Motsepe said the decision had been made in conjunction with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the world governing body’s general secretary Mattias Grafstrom, and that CAF”have to compromise”.

Motsepe also announced the creation of the African Nations League, which will take place in September, October and November every year from 2029.

The competition will see all 54 member associates split into four zones, with six nations in the Northern zone and 16 nations in the Eastern, Western and Central and Southern zones.

Matches will be played in September and October, with the champions from each region meeting in November to then decide an overall winner.

Motsepe said the new competition will be “the equivalent of an Afcon every year” and will be held in partnership with FIFA in order to attract top-class sponsors.

“Every year in Africa, the best African players who play in Europe will be with us on the continent,” Motsepe added.

“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.”