- AFCON to Switch to Four Year Cycle From 2028, CAF Confirms
- The 2027 East Africa tournament will proceed before the format change.
- CAF raised prize money and cited calendar alignment as a key reason.
The Africa Cup of Nations will move from its long standing two year cycle to a four year format beginning in 2028, the Confederation of African Football has confirmed.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe announced the decision in Morocco ahead of the opening match of the 35th edition of the tournament, where hosts Morocco are set to face Comoros. AFCON, first staged in 1957, remains CAF’s flagship competition and accounts for about 80 percent of the confederation’s total revenue.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Motsepe said the 2027 finals, scheduled to be co hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will go ahead as planned and will be followed by another edition in 2028. From that point onward, the tournament will be held once every four years.
“Historically the Nations Cup was the prime resource for us but now we will get financial resources every year,” Motsepe said. “It is an exciting new structure which will contribute to sustainable financial independence and ensure more synchronisation with the FIFA calendar.”
The proposal to reduce AFCON’s frequency had previously been suggested by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but CAF had resisted due to its heavy dependence on tournament income. Motsepe confirmed that the latest decision followed discussions with Infantino and FIFA general secretary Mattias Grafstrom.
“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.”
AFCON scheduling has long been a source of tension with European clubs, as the tournament has often taken place during the middle of the domestic season. Although CAF resolved in 2019 to move the competition to a June and July window, several challenges have forced repeated changes.
The 2022 finals in Cameroon and the 2024 edition in Côte d’Ivoire were both held early in the year due to weather conditions and disruption caused by the Covid 19 pandemic. More recently, FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup in the United States during June and July further affected CAF’s scheduling plans.
As a result, this year’s AFCON finals in Morocco were shifted back by six months and will run over the Christmas and New Year period for the first time. The final is scheduled for January 18.
CAF also confirmed an increase in prize money for the tournament, with winners set to receive 10 million dollars, up from the previous 7 million dollars.
The dates for the 2027 finals in East Africa are yet to be confirmed, while the host nation for the 2028 edition has not been announced.
