CAF confirm AFCON four-year switch from 2028 as Nations League plan revealed
The Africa Cup of Nations will move to a four-year cycle from 2028, CAF president Patrice Motsepe has confirmed, bringing a major shake-up to African football’s already crowded calendar.
AFCON has been played every two years since 1968, apart from a brief gap between the 2012 and 2013 tournaments. That long-standing rhythm will continue for now, with the 2025 finals in Morocco and the 2027 edition in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda both going ahead as planned under the old format.
But after that, things change. The 2028 AFCON will act as a bridge into a new four-year cycle, meaning the tournament will then fall in line with the World Cup and European Championships. From then on, the next editions is expected in 2032 and beyond.
Motsepe announced the decision following a meeting of CAF’s executive committee in Morocco, just days before the start of the 2025 finals in Rabat. He also revealed the launch of a brand-new African Nations League, set to begin in 2029 and run every year.
“We have the most exciting new structure for African football,” Motsepe said. “I do what is in the interests of Africa. The global calendar has to be significantly more synchronised and harmonised.”
Alongside the calendar change, CAF has increased AFCON prize money, with the winners’ pot rising from $7m (£5.2m) to $10m (£7.5m). It’s a clear signal that CAF want to boost the tournament’s prestige and commercial pull.
AFCON’s biennial slot has long caused tension with European clubs, as most tournaments fall in the middle of the domestic season. CAF had aimed to move the competition to June and July from 2019, starting with Egypt that year, but the plan was repeatedly disrupted.
Covid-19 and extreme weather conditions forced the 2021 and 2023 tournaments in Cameroon and Ivory Coast to be staged in January and February instead. This year, FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup has again pushed CAF into a corner, meaning Morocco 2025 will be played over Christmas and New Year, with the final on January 18.
The 2027 finals dates are still to be confirmed and will be followed swiftly by another AFCON in 2028, with the hosts for that tournament yet to be decided. After that, AFCON will become a quadrennial event held in the same year as the Euros.
Motsepe said the decision was taken alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, admitting CAF “have to compromise” in a changing global game.
The newly announced African Nations League will run every September, October and November from 2029. All 54 CAF member nations will be split into four zones, with regional winners meeting in November to crown an overall champion.
Motsepe described it as “the equivalent of an AFCON every year”, promising top players based in Europe will return to the continent annually. If it works, African football could be entering a new era – fewer AFCONs, but bigger ones, with something meaningful on the line every single year.