The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has restored the traditional two-year Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) cycle, reversing plans to stage the continental showpiece every four years in a major shift ahead of the 2027 edition in East Africa.
The decision was unanimously approved by the CAF Executive Committee on Thursday, October 29, 2026, ending months of uncertainty surrounding the future of the competition.
The four-year proposal was announced by CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe in December 2025 in Rabat, Morocco, following an Executive Committee meeting. It was part of a wider restructuring plan that included introducing an Africa Nations League from 2029 to provide national teams with regular continental competition.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafström were involved in discussions surrounding the restructuring. Infantino had previously advocated for a four-year AFCON cycle, citing the need to align continental competitions with the international football calendar and reduce clashes with European club commitments.
However, the proposal attracted criticism, particularly over the reduced frequency of Africa’s biggest national-team tournament and its potential financial implications for CAF and member associations.
The issue returned to the agenda at the CAF Strategy Conference held in Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cape Verde, from October 7 to 9, 2026. It was here that Motsepe first publicly announced that the four-year arrangement was being reconsidered, following discussions with African football stakeholders.
CAF subsequently sought the views of all 54 member associations through a memorandum circulated by interim General Secretary Samson Adamu, requesting their positions on the proposed return to the biennial format.
Following the consultations, the Executive Committee unanimously resolved on October 29 to restore the two-year cycle. CAF announced the decision the same day, although it did not disclose the venue of the meeting at which the resolution was adopted.
Explaining the reversal, CAF stated: “This reassessment and reconsideration was necessitated by, amongst other matters, the recognition that the proposed new Africa Nations League Pan-African Competition which was supposed to replace the current AFCON and take place every two years, would require several years in order to be in a position, to contribute the substantial financial resources necessary, for the CAF Competitions and African Football to be globally competitive and self-supporting.”
Under the revised calendar, AFCON will take place in 2027 and 2028 before subsequent editions in 2031 and 2033, leaving the 2030 FIFA World Cup year without a continental finals tournament.
The decision comes as Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda prepare to jointly host the 2027 edition from June 19 to July 17. The tournament will mark AFCON’s return to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted the competition in 1976.
The Pamoja edition will also introduce an expanded 28-team format, with participating nations divided into seven groups of four. The top two teams in each group and the four best third-placed finishers?
The top two teams in each group, alongside the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 16.
The expanded tournament and restored biennial cycle mark a new chapter in CAF’s competition structure, with the proposed Africa Nations League still requiring a clear place in the continental football calendar.
