CAF considering return to biennial AFCON – Motsepe
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is considering a return to the traditional two-year cycle for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), less than a year after announcing plans to hold the continent’s flagship football tournament every four years.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe confirmed the development on Friday during a press conference in Cape Verde, on the final day of the organisation’s Strategy Conference.
“‘We are looking at everything, including bringing the AFCON back to every two years,” Motsepe said.
In December 2025, CAF announced that AFCON would move from its traditional biennial schedule to a four-year cycle after the 2028 edition.
Under the plan, the 2027 tournament, scheduled to be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, would proceed as planned, followed by another edition in 2028 before the new format took effect.
As part of the restructuring, CAF also announced plans to introduce an African Nations League in 2029.
The governing body said the new competition would ensure that Africa had a major senior men’s national-team tournament every year outside FIFA World Cup years.
However, the decision to move AFCON to a four-year cycle attracted criticism from across the continent. Motsepe defended the change in January, rejecting claims that FIFA had pressured CAF to alter the tournament’s frequency.
His latest comments indicate a possible shift in the organisation’s position, although he stopped short of announcing a formal reversal.
A return to the two-year format could require CAF to reconsider aspects of its competition calendar, including plans for future editions of AFCON and the proposed African Nations League.
CAF has already opened the bidding process for the 2028, 2032 and 2036 editions of AFCON. However, the organisation has yet to explain how a possible return to the biennial schedule would affect those plans or when a final decision would be announced.
The discussions took place during CAF’s three-day Strategy Conference in Cape Verde, which brought together presidents of all 54 member associations, Executive Committee members, national-team coaches and other football officials.
The conference focused on the continent’s football priorities and strategic direction through 2030.
Vanguard News
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