AFCON’s return to a two-year cycle set to impact Premier League clubs
· Yahoo Sports
The Africa Cup of Nations will again be staged every two years after the Confederation of African Football confirmed a decision to reverse previous changes.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe says the decision to bring back a two-year Africa Cup of Nations is designed to 'protect' the interests of African football, after the governing body confirmed a U-turn on its plan to stage the tournament every four years.
Visit librea.one for more information.
CAF announced the reversal in a press release on Thursday night. The next editions are now scheduled for 2027, 2028, 2031 and 2033.
In December 2025, Motsepe had announced that AFCON would move to a four-year cycle from 2028, with a new African Nations League due to launch in 2029. Earlier this month, he admitted talks had taken place about keeping the tournament biennial.
CAF said the rethink was driven by concerns over how long the Nations League would take to become a serious source of revenue for the confederation.
"The review (of the decision to make AFCON every four years instead of every two years) was motivated in particular by the observation that the proposed new pan-African competition, the Nations League, intended to replace the current AFCON and to be played every two years, would require several years before it could generate the substantial financial resources necessary to allow CAF competitions and African football to be globally competitive and financially self-sufficient."
- CAF statement
The decision is likely to be greeted unfavourably by European clubs. The biennial scheduling has often caused issues forPremier League and European clubs, who are obligated to release players mid-season to the tournament. Those set to be impacted by the changes include high-profile Premier League names including Bryan Mbeumo, Nicolas Jackson, Iliman Ndiaye and Mohammed Kudus.
The next men's tournament will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The last edition remains unresolved off the pitch: Senegal beat hosts Morocco 1-0 in the final in Rabat, but CAF later ruled they had forfeited the match after their players walked off in protest at a penalty decision. The Senegalese Football Federation has taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In his statement, Motsepe also pointed to African players based at clubs outside the continent as a consideration in the decision.
"The decision by the CAF Executive Committee to reinstate the organization of the AFCON every two years aims to advance, protect and promote the interests of African football and the 54 CAF Member Associations. This is in addition to those of African players playing for clubs outside the continent.
"We (CAF) were also concerned about the number of years it would take for the proposed new pan-African competition, the Nations League, to provide the substantial financial contributions and benefits needed for the development of African football, in order to make CAF competitions globally competitive and financially self-sustaining.
"The next edition of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations will take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, and I am confident it will be a great success. Subsequent editions will be held in 2028, 2031, and 2033."