CAF restores Africa Cup of Nations to biennial schedule

The Confederation of African Football has abandoned plans to move the Africa Cup of Nations to a four-year cycle and will retain the tournament’s traditional biennial schedule, the BBC and CAF report. CAF president Patrice Motsepe said the reversal was intended to advance, protect and promote African football. The original change, announced before the 2025 finals in Morocco, would have taken effect from 2028 and was partly presented as a way to make the global football calendar more coordinated.

The decision to alter the frequency had been linked to recurring disputes over the release of African players during the European club season. But critics argued that a four-year tournament would serve the interests of football’s global governing structures more than the African game. Zambia Football Association official Sydney Mungala told the BBC that the existing two-year cycle had served the continent well.

CAF had proposed an annual Africa Nations League involving all 54 member associations as an alternative. Motsepe described the concept as a potential world-class competition every year and as part of an effort to create a more sustainable commercial model. He has since acknowledged concern that the Nations League could take several years to generate substantial financial and football-development benefits.

The Afcon is CAF’s biggest revenue generator. The BBC reported that the 2025 tournament was forecast to produce a profit of $114m, compared with $75m for the previous finals in Ivory Coast. That financial importance made the prospect of reducing the tournament’s frequency particularly significant for the continental body.

The reversal followed consultation with CAF’s 54 national associations. According to the BBC, the initial four-year decision had been taken by the executive committee in December without being put to a general assembly. Algerian journalist Maher Mezahi said decisions of that importance should have been debated by the full membership for months.

CAF later asked its associations to state whether they preferred the four-year plan or the established schedule. The executive committee ultimately voted to restore the two-year cycle. CAF’s public announcement confirms the outcome but, in the material supplied, provides no further explanation of the consultation or vote.

The organisation’s earlier attempt to create a major alternative competition has also shaped the debate. The Africa Super League, announced in 2022 with projected annual revenues of $200m, was discontinued after one edition when commercial agreements failed to meet expectations, according to the BBC. The change also reflects the complicated relationship between CAF and FIFA.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had publicly proposed a four-year Afcon in 2020, while Motsepe initially rejected the idea after becoming CAF president. The BBC reported that Motsepe has since maintained a close relationship with Infantino, whose World Cup expansion has increased African representation. For now, CAF has chosen continuity: the Africa Cup of Nations will continue to be staged every two years, while questions remain over the future role and commercial viability of any Africa Nations League.