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CAF Reinstates Africa Cup Of Nations Every Two Years After Four-Year Plan
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CAF Executive Committee unanimously reinstated the Africa Cup of Nations on a two-year cycle. The reversal follows the prior four-year plan and was announced after Cape Verde Strategy Conference.
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Afcon back to two years
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to reinstate the Africa Cup of Nations every two years after a previous plan to hold it every four years. CAF president Patrice Motsepe said the Executive Committee’s decision to reinstate the biennial tournament aims to advance, protect and promote the interests of African football and the 54 Caf Member Associations, as well as those of African players playing for clubs outside the continent.
CAF’s plan also acknowledged that a proposed Africa Nations League would take several years to generate the revenue required to become self-sufficient. The next Afcon will take place in 2027, with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda jointly hosting the tournament, followed by editions in 2028, 2031 and 2033, and there will be no tournament in 2030 because of the World Cup.
Motsepe cites Nations League
CAF president Patrice Motsepe tied the U-turn to the time needed for the Africa Nations League to generate the “large financial resources” required for CAF competitions and African football to be globally competitive and financially self-sustaining. Real Broadcasting Network said CAF’s reassessment followed the Strategy Conference held in Cabo Verde from October 7 to 9, 2026, where the Executive Committee agreed to revert to the two-year cycle.
Motsepe said the next edition of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in 2027, and he added that the following editions will take place in 2028, 2031 and 2033. The scheduling shift linked to the football calendar, noting that the vast majority of recent Afcon tournaments were held midway through the European club season and that the expanded 32-team Club World Cup was held in June and July last year.
Dates and knock-on effects
CAF’s schedule sets the next Afcon for 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, then places subsequent editions in 2028, 2031 and 2033 while leaving 2030 without a tournament because of the World Cup. The 2030 gap reflects that there will be no tournament in 2030 because of the World Cup, and the next Afcon will be followed by editions in 2028, 2031 and 2033.
CAF had decided to hold the Africa Cup of Nations once every 4 years starting in 2028 while organizing a new competition, the Africa Nations League, annually, before the move toward returning to the two-year cycle. Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda are slated to host the Africa Cup of Nations from June 19 to July 17, 2027, and Egypt holds the record for the most Africa Cup of Nations titles with seven championships.