AFCON: CAF restores biennial schedule, ten months after voting for a four-year cycle

The executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided unanimously on Thursday, October 29, 2026, to restore the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to a biennial schedule, according to Sport News Africa, the Journal de Kinshasa, and Foot sur 7. The decision buries a reform adopted by the same body ten months earlier.

On December 20, 2025, in Rabat, on the eve of the Moroccan AFCON, the executive committee had indeed scheduled a final tournament every four years starting after 2028, reports Foot sur 7. An African Nations League, expected in 2029, was intended to fill the gaps. Before making a decision, CAF consulted its 54 member associations by letter, which had until October 28, 2026, to respond, again according to Foot sur 7. No tally of the opinions was published.

The argument of revenue

The reason put forward is financial. The Nations League project "would require several years" before producing revenues comparable to those of the AFCON, writes the Journal de Kinshasa, which estimates that the shift to a quadrennial cycle would have represented a significant loss of income. For federations with tight budgets, the participation bonuses and high-stakes qualifiers of a biennial event carry significant weight, notes Foot sur 7.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe asserts that the decision aims to "advance, protect, and promote the interests of African football" and those of the 54 member associations as well as African players, according to the Journal de Kinshasa. He also mentions, as cited by Foot sur 7, a concern regarding "the number of years required" for the replacement project.

The standoff with European clubs is not over

Behind the calendar, an old question of sovereignty is being replayed: the right of Africa to schedule its flagship competition when it deems it useful, in the face of European clubs that employ its international players. The AFCON held in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, deprived them of their players in the middle of the season. The 2027 edition, scheduled for the summer, spares them, notes Foot sur 7, but there is no word on what will happen to subsequent ones.

Those remain largely to be written. The 2027 AFCON will be held in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda starting June 19, 2027—the closing date differs according to the media, July 18 for the Journal de Kinshasa, and July 17 for Foot sur 7. The biennial rhythm is maintained for 2028, without a designated host country: Ethiopia, Morocco, and a joint bid from Botswana and South Africa are in the running, reports Foot sur 7. A break is planned for 2030, the year of the World Cup co-hosted by Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, before resuming in 2031 and then 2033.

A major unknown remains, which the statement does not clarify according to Foot sur 7: is the African Nations League abandoned, or merely postponed?