The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will return to its traditional two-year cycle after the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) “unanimously decided” to reverse a previous decision to stage the continental football jamboree every four years.
CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe had earlier announced during the continental football body’s Strategy Conference in Cabo Verde, held from October 7-9, 2026, that the Executive Committee was reassessing last year’s decision to hold AFCON every four years.
On Thursday, October 29, the Executive Committee decided that the tournament should return to a two-year cycle, according to a CAF statement.
Motsepe said the decision to return to a biennial tournament was in the best interest of African Football and CAF’s 54 Member Associations, as well as African players plying their trade in clubs outside the continent.
The CAF boss explained that the Africa Nations League, a Pan-African competition proposed to replace the biennial AFCON, would take several years to generate substantial financial and football development contributions, enabling African Football and CAF competitions to be globally competitive and self-supporting.
The next TotalEnergies CAF AFCON in 2027 will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with subsequent editions slated for 2028, 2031 and 2033. CAF has avoided scheduling the tournament in 2030 to accommodate the FIFA World Cup.
More than just football, Motsepe said the AFCON is also an important celebration of Africa’s rich and diverse cultures, traditions and its people.
“The CAF Executive Committee decision [to return to the AFCON taking place every two years] is in the best interest of African Football and CAF’s 54 Member Associations and will also contribute significantly to the development and growth of football in Africa,” Motsepe said.
Meanwhile, CAF has also confirmed the appointment of Nigerian football administrator Samson Adamu as substantive Secretary General.
Adamu, who previously served as Acting Secretary General, succeeds Veron Mosengo-Omba, who retired in March and was elected president of the DR Congo Football Federation two months later.
With the appointment, the former Director of Competitions at CAF has become the first Nigerian to occupy one of the most influential administrative positions in African football in the organization’s 70-year history.
