CAF President Hints At Return To AFCON’s Two Year Cycle
The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, has hinted that the continental football governing body is considering a return to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) being held every two years, months after announcing plans to move the tournament to a four year cycle.
Motsepe made the disclosure on Friday while speaking at the CAF Strategy Conference in Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cape Verde, where he revealed that the organisation had revisited discussions on the future format of the competition.
“The AFCON, because this is one of the issues we’re talking about, we took a decision as Africa, because, and there were lots of issues, but I can guarantee you we have discussed it over the last few days to say we are looking at everything, including having the AFCON coming back every two years,” he said.
The conference, which held from October 7 to 9, brought together representatives of CAF’s 54 member associations, national team coaches and other football stakeholders to discuss strategies for developing the game across Africa.
Motsepe’s remarks indicate that CAF is reviewing its earlier decision, although he did not announce any formal reversal of the proposed change to the tournament’s schedule.
In December 2025, CAF announced plans to move AFCON from its traditional two year cycle to a four year schedule after the 2028 edition.
The proposed restructuring was part of broader changes to African national team competitions, including plans to introduce an African Nations League from 2029.
CAF said the changes were intended to align African football more closely with the international football calendar while ensuring more regular opportunities for national teams to compete.
However, the proposed four year AFCON cycle marked a significant departure from the tournament’s long established format and generated debate over its potential implications for African football.
During Friday’s address, Motsepe also rejected suggestions that CAF made decisions to satisfy European football authorities, insisting that the organisation’s priority remained the interests of Africa.
“This nonsense, absolute rubbish, that CAF takes decisions because UEFA asks us, that it’s for the benefit of UEFA or the benefit of FIFA, absolute nonsense, absolute rubbish,” he said.
He acknowledged that CAF sometimes disagreed with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), but stressed that cooperation remained important, particularly because many African players compete for clubs in Europe.
“Our job is to look after the interests of Africa,” Motsepe said, adding that his responsibility was to “protect, promote and advance the interests of Africa”.
He maintained that CAF would continue engaging with football authorities in Europe, the United States and China while remaining committed to defending Africa’s interests whenever necessary.
However, Motsepe did not provide a timeline for a possible decision on AFCON’s future format or clarify whether the ongoing review would result in a formal change to the competition calendar.