AFCON to switch to 4-years cycle after 2028

The Africa Cup of Nations is set to switch to a four-year cycle after a planned 2028 edition, marking a major departure from its long-standing biennial format, Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe confirmed on Saturday

The decision is part of a broader overhaul of Africa’s international football calendar, aimed at easing congestion and aligning better with global competitions.

While holding AFCON every two years has traditionally provided crucial revenue for national associations, Motsepe said that financial gaps would be filled by the launch of a new African Nations League.

“Our focus now is on this AFCON but in 2027 we will be going to Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, and the AFCON after that will be in 2028,” Motsepe said in Rabat on Saturday, a day before the opening match of the Morocco-hosted tournament.

“Then after the FIFA Club World Cup in 2029 we will have the first African Nations League… with more prize money, more resources, more competition.

“As part of this arrangement, the AFCON now will take place once every four years.”

The African Nations League, modeled after UEFA’s competition, is expected to be staged annually and generate increased income and competitive opportunities across the continent.

AFCON has largely been held every two years since its inaugural edition in 1957, but scheduling conflicts have intensified over the past decade and a half as the global football calendar has grown more crowded.

Morocco’s ongoing tournament is the eighth edition since the 2012 finals co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, a period during which the competition has repeatedly been forced to adjust dates and formats.