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CAF confirms African Nations League will debut in 2029 as annual competition.
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All 54 African nations will compete across four regional zones yearly.
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Tournament aims to replace regular AFCON excitement after calendar overhaul.
African football is set for a major transformation with the launch of the African Nations League, a new annual international competition scheduled to begin in 2029.
The Confederation of African Football confirmed that the African Nations League will become a central part of the continent’s football calendar and a major commercial platform for the governing body.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that CAF president Patrice Motsepe announced the competition, describing it as a landmark initiative aimed at bringing Africa’s best players back to the continent every year while ensuring a steady flow of high-profile international matches.
From 2029, all 54 CAF member associations will participate in the African Nations League. The teams will be grouped into four geographical zones, with six nations in the Northern zone and 16 nations each in the Eastern, Western, and Central and Southern zones.
The tournament will be staged annually between September and October. Zone champions will then advance to a final phase in November, where the overall continental winner will be decided.
Motsepe said the competition would deliver the excitement of a major championship every year. “The African Nations League will be the equivalent of an AFCON every year,” he said.
He added that the tournament would be organised in partnership with FIFA, a move CAF believes will attract elite sponsors and significantly raise the global profile of African international football.
“Every year in Africa, the best African players who play in Europe will be with us on the continent,” Motsepe said. “Every year we will have a competition with 54 African nations with all the best players coming here to play.
“We are going to have a world-class competition every year.”
The introduction of the African Nations League follows CAF’s decision to restructure the scheduling of its flagship competition, the Africa Cup of Nations.
AFCON will shift from its traditional two-year cycle to a four-year format starting from 2028, aligning it with other major continental tournaments globally.
The change was confirmed in Morocco ahead of the opening match of the 35th edition of AFCON, where hosts Morocco were set to face Comoros.
With AFCON now set to hold less frequently, CAF views the African Nations League as a strategic solution to keep international football on the continent visible, competitive and commercially attractive every year.
