CAF Reconsiders Plan to Move AFCON to Four-Year Cycle

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is reconsidering its earlier decision to stage the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) every four years, according to remarks by the governing body’s president, Patrice Motsepe. The announcement opens the possibility of retaining the continent’s flagship football tournament on its traditional biennial schedule.

Speaking on Friday, October 9, 2026, during a media briefing at CAF’s three-day Strategy Conference in Cape Verde, Motsepe indicated that the scheduling framework remains under active review. The reassessment comes ten months after CAF originally revealed plans to transition AFCON to a four-year cycle following the 2028 tournament.

Evaluating Continental Interests

The earlier announcement to lengthen the cycle between tournaments met with pushback and criticism from segments of the African football community. Motsepe explained that leadership has spent recent days evaluating all available avenues, including preserving the two-year arrangement, though no definitive ruling has been finalized.

Motsepe stressed that CAF’s primary consideration in the ongoing review is protecting and advancing the broader interests of African football. How the organization ultimately decides to schedule its marquee asset is expected to impact not only the sporting calendar but also related commercial spheres.

Tournaments such as AFCON serve as major cultural platforms across the continent, frequently incorporating live musical performances, official theme songs, and extensive entertainment activations that offer visibility to African artists and the creative business. A final determination on whether the tournament remains biennial will govern how regularly these continental stages occur.

Source: NotJustOk