The Africa Cup of Nations returns to a biennial schedule a year after the reform.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has decided to reverse its reform of the Africa Cup of Nations, announced for 2025, which would have shifted the tournament to a four-year cycle. The continental competition will therefore return to being held every two years.

The decision was made after a reassessment of the time required for the new competition to generate significant financial resources. CAF President Patrice Motsepe emphasized the desire to protect the interests of African football, the 54 member associations, and the players.

The next edition will proceed as scheduled in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Subsequent editions are already planned for 2028, 2031, and 2033.

The Africa Cup of Nations is the premier continental tournament for men's national teams in Africa, organized by CAF. In 2025, the confederation had announced an ambitious reform: shifting the competition from its traditional biennial schedule to a quadrennial one, aligning it with the model of the European Championships and the Copa America.

This decision was made with the stated goal of creating a more prestigious and, hopefully, more profitable competition. However, after just one year, CAF has reversed course. The main reason, as explained today, is economic: the time required for the new format to generate significant financial resources has been reassessed as too long.

President Patrice Motsepe reiterated the priority of protecting the interests of African football as a whole, involving all 54 affiliated federations. The choice to return to a biennial schedule thus reinstates the traditional calendar, with the next edition already confirmed for 2027 in three East African countries. The decision has immediate consequences for the scheduling of European clubs, which will see their African players more frequently engaged in international travel.