The Africa Cup of Nations is about to change its rhythm. From 2028, the flagship tournament of African football will return only once every four years, after more than half a century of lighting up the continent every other year. Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football, made the switch official on 20 December 2025 in Rabat, following an executive committee meeting held on the eve of the opening match in Morocco.
The transition calendar is an unusual one. The 2027 edition, awarded jointly to Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, will go ahead as planned from 19 June to 17 July. Yet another AFCON will follow as early as 2028, and that tournament will mark the start of the new four-year cycle. Fans will therefore get two finals in two years before a long wait until 2032.
Why such a shift? CAF points first to alignment with the global calendar. For some fifteen years, the tournament’s place in the season has fuelled recurring friction with European clubs, reluctant to release their internationals in midwinter, and repeated postponements have blurred the event’s identity. Its president also argues that wider gaps between editions will give national teams more time to prepare.
Then comes the question of money, since AFCON is the governing body’s main source of income. To fill the void, an African Nations League will be launched in 2029. Played every year along the lines of UEFA’s version, it will bring together all 54 national teams, split into four regional zones. Motsepe promises more prize money, more resources and more competitive fixtures. In the same spirit, the cheque for the AFCON winner has risen from 7 to 10 million dollars.
Not everyone is convinced. Hosting a finals every two years regularly pushed governments to build or renovate stadiums and to upgrade roads, airports and hotel capacity. By making the tournament rarer, CAF risks weakening that ripple effect, which mattered greatly to countries unlikely to launch such projects on their own. Supporters, for their part, lose a familiar fixture whose frequency was part of its appeal.
Advocates reply that a scarcer trophy gains in prestige, much like the Euros or the World Cup. Everything now hinges on whether the future Nations League can win over broadcasters, sponsors and crowds. Should it succeed, Africa will have traded a tradition for a sturdier business model. If it falls short, the continent may long regret its biennial celebration.