CAF Executives Reverse Course, Keep African Cup on Two-Year Schedule
The governing body voted unanimously on Friday to reverse a December decision that would have spaced the tournament every four years starting in 2028.
By Alexander Parker ·
The Confederation of African Football's executive committee voted unanimously on Friday to abandon its plan to hold the African Cup of Nations every four years, keeping the continental championship on a two-year schedule, CAF announced.
CAF had announced in December that the Cup would move to a four-year cycle beginning in 2028, a change intended to clear the calendar for a new Africa Nations League to launch in 2029. That decision aligned the tournament with FIFA's international calendar but drew complaints from attendees at the Cup in Morocco, some of whom argued it had been made with European preferences in mind rather than African interests. CAF said in October that it was reconsidering.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe said the committee's decision to return to a two-year cycle was based on advancing the interests of African football, the federation's 54 member associations, and African players employed by clubs outside the continent. He also said the proposed Africa Nations League was years away from producing financial and developmental returns large enough to keep African football and its competitions competitive worldwide and self-sustaining.
The next Cup of Nations remains set for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda next year, followed by editions in 2028, 2031 and 2033. Motsepe noted that the 2030 FIFA World Cup falls that year and that, under FIFA tradition, the Cup of Nations and other confederations' national team competitions typically do not run during a World Cup year.
Motsepe has led CAF since 2021.
The next African Cup of Nations is scheduled for January 2027 across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with subsequent tournaments in 2028, 2031 and 2033.
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Source: Stamford Advocate
