CAF returns Africa Cup of Nations to two-year cycle

The executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided on Thursday to make the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) take place every two years again.

The decision was unanimous and reverses a plan approved last year to hold the tournament only every four years.

Patrice Motsepe, CAF president, had announced the review in early October at the CAF strategic conference in Cape Verde, held from 7 to 9 October. The committee made its decision three weeks later.

Why the four-year plan was dropped

Under the four-year plan, a new competition, the African Nations League, was due to replace AFCON and take place every two years.

The project ran into a money problem. CAF said the league would have taken several years to earn significant income, and that income was needed to make African competitions world class and financially self-sufficient.

Motsepe said the decision aimed to promote and protect the interests of African football, including those of African players who play for clubs outside the continent.

The African Nations League will not replace AFCON.

The new calendar

Algérie 360 reported that the next AFCON will be held in June and July 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Further editions are due in 2028, 2031 and 2033, so fans will see two tournaments in consecutive years, in 2027 and 2028.

There will be no AFCON in 2029 or 2030, the year the FIFA World Cup takes place. Algérie 360 reported that confederations usually avoid holding their own tournament in a World Cup year, following FIFA tradition.

Algérie 360 calculated that the change doubles the number of AFCON editions by 2033. Under the four-year plan there would have been two editions, in 2027 and 2031, while the new calendar has four.

What it means for Algerian fans and players

Algeria won AFCON in 1990 and 2019. Its national team, known as the Verts, will have more chances to shine on the continental stage.

Many Algerian players play in Europe, and their clubs will have to release them more often for the final stages.

Algérie 360 reported that the 2027 edition, held in summer, will limit clashes with European league seasons.

The future of the African Nations League has yet to be clarified, Algérie 360 reported.