The Africa Cup of Nations will return to its traditional two-year schedule after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) unanimously overturned its decision to stage the tournament every four years.
The decision was made at a CAF Executive Committee meeting on Thursday, following recent comments by CAF President Patrice Motsepe that the organisation would review the change.
The original proposal formed part of a wider plan to introduce a new Africa Nations League, which was intended to become Africa’s biennial national-team competition in place of AFCON.
CAF has now acknowledged that it would take several years to develop the proposed tournament into a competition capable of being globally competitive and financially self-sustaining.
Motsepe said the decision to restore the two-year cycle was made to protect the interests of African football, CAF’s 54 member associations and African players employed by clubs outside the continent.
“The decision by the CAF EXCO that the AFCON should take place every two years was based on advancing, protecting and promoting the interest of African Football and CAF’s 54 Member Associations, as well as the interest of African players employed by Football Clubs outside Africa,” Motsepe was quoted by CAFonline as saying.
He said CAF was also concerned about the time needed for the proposed Africa Nations League Pan-African competition to deliver meaningful financial and football development benefits.
“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,” he added.
The next Africa Cup of Nations will be held in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
“The next AFCON will take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and I am confident that it will be very successful,” Motsepe said. “The subsequent AFCONs thereafter will take place in 2028, 2031 and 2033.”
He also referred to the scheduling conflict between continental national-team competitions and the FIFA World Cup.
“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,” he said.
Motsepe described AFCON as more than a football tournament, saying it also celebrates Africa’s cultures, customs and traditions while bringing together people from the continent’s 54 countries, the African Diaspora and communities worldwide.
He added that the Executive Committee’s decision was intended to support the development and growth of football across Africa.
“The CAF EXCO decision is in the best interest of African Football and CAF’s 54 Member Associations and will also contribute significantly to the development and growth of football in Africa.”