CAF makes u-turn on AFCON format, tournament to be held every two years

African football's showpiece tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations will be held every two years the continent's ruling body announced Friday, in a reversal of a decision taken last year.

The African Football Confederation (CAF) had decided last year that the tournament would take place every four years.

"The African Football Confederation (CAF) Executive Committee today unanimously decided that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will return to taking place every two years," a statement said.

CAF said part of the reasoning for performing a U-turn on the decision was the length of time it would take for AFCON's replacement competition, the Africa Nations League Pan-African Competition, to become financially viable.

"We were also concerned by the several years required before the proposed new Africa Nations League Pan-African competition, (which was supposed to be identical to the current AFCON and take place every two years), could make the substantial financial and football development contributions for African Football and CAF competitions to be globally competitive and self-supporting," CAF president Patrice Motsepe said in the statement.

Motsepe added that the decision was also taken in the interests "of African players employed by football clubs outside Africa".

That may prove contentious with their clubs looking at losing key players every two years as opposed to four.

Next year's tournament is being co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and CAF said the following three would take place in 2028, 2031 and 2033.

"The forthcoming FIFA World Cup will take place in 2030 and in accordance with the FIFA tradition, the final tournament of the AFCON and other Confederations National Teams competitions may not take place during the year of the FIFA World Cup," said Motsepe, explaining the three-year gap between the 2028 edition and the following one.

The winner of the 2025 renewal is still in abeyance with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) likely to rule at the end of November on Senegal's appeal of the decision to strip them of the title and award it to hosts Morocco.