CAF Official Announcement: Africa Cup of Nations Officially Resumes Biennial Format

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) officially announced on Friday that the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) will return to its traditional biennial format.

In December 2025, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to change the Africa Cup of Nations to be held every four years. However, after reassessment, they unanimously decided to revert to the original format.

In a statement, CAF President Patrice Motsepe explained that the main consideration for overturning the original decision was financial pressure: "The CAF Executive Committee decided to reinstate the biennial format of the Africa Cup of Nations in order to advance, maintain and promote the interests of African football and the 54 member associations under CAF, while also taking into account the interests of African players playing for overseas clubs."

"We are also concerned that the proposed new pan-African competition, the 'African Nations League,' may take several years to provide substantial financial and football development support, thereby enabling African football and the various competitions under the Confederation of African Football to be competitive and self-sufficient on a global scale."

According to the schedule, the next Africa Cup of Nations will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda in 2027. Following that, the Africa Cup of Nations will be held in 2028, 2031, and 2033 respectively – however, due to the World Cup being held in 2030, the Africa Cup of Nations originally scheduled for that year will be postponed to 2031.

Image source: Internet/CAF official website