CAF to organise AFCON every four years

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be held once every four years after the 2028 edition, as against its long standing two year cycle.

CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, announced the decision on Saturday in Rabat, where he addressed journalists on the eve of the opening match of the ongoing Morocco hosted tournament.

He said the move was part of wider reforms aimed at easing pressure on the international football calendar.

Motsepe explained that Africa will still host the 2027 Cup of Nations in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, before staging another edition in 2028.

He also disclosed that CAF would invite interested countries to bid for the right to host the 2028 tournament.

“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.

He noted that although the biennial AFCON had been a major source of income for African football bodies, CAF was introducing a new competition to help offset the change.

“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,” he said.

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

The Africa Cup of Nations has traditionally been organised every two years since its inaugural edition in 1957.

However, in recent years, the tournament has faced increasing challenges in fitting into the global football calendar, particularly due to clashes with European club seasons.

In 2019, the competition was moved to June and July in Egypt, departing from its usual early year window, in an effort to reduce disruption to European leagues.

This year’s tournament in Morocco is the eighth edition since the 2012 championship co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

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