CAF has scrapped its decision to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) every four years.
In a statement on Thursday, the confederation said its executive committee unanimously voted to drop its announced plan and revert to its traditional two-year cycle.
In December 2025, Patrice Motsepe, CAF president, unveiled the four-year cycle for AFCON, saying the competition will also align with the European championships and take place in the same year.
CAF also announced it will launch the African Nations League in 2029.
In a U-turn, Motsepe said restoring AFCON to its two-year cycle promotes “the interest of African Football and CAF’s 54 Member Associations”.
He added that the decision was also influenced by the fact that the proposed African Nations League, which was meant to replace AFCON every two years, could take several years before it becomes financially viable.
“The next TotalEnergies CAF AFCON will take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and I am confident that it will be very successful. The subsequent AFCONs thereafter will take place in 2028, 2031 and 2033,” Motsepe said.
“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.”
