CAF Reopens Debate on AFCON’s Four-Year Cycle

Posted : 12 October 2026

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is reconsidering its plan to stage the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) every four years, with president Patrice Motsepe confirming that a return to the traditional two-year cycle remains an option.

Motsepe disclosed this at the end of CAF’s three-day strategy conference in Cape Verde, revealing that the continental governing body had revisited the decision following discussions over the past few days.

CAF announced in December that the tournament would move from a biennial to a four-year cycle after the 2028 edition, aligning its schedule more closely with the international football calendar.

The decision sparked criticism among stakeholders who argued that the change could undermine African football interests in favour of European clubs and competitions.

However, Motsepe insisted that CAF’s decisions were guided by the interests of African football, dismissing suggestions that the organisation was acting under pressure from FIFA or the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

He described claims that the continental governing body was being dictated to by either organisation as “nonsense, absolute rubbish”.

“My No. 1 job, my No. 1 duty is to protect, promote, and advance the interests of Africa,” Motsepe said, stressing his commitment to defending the continent’s football priorities.

He added that CAF had begun reassessing the AFCON calendar, including the possibility of restoring the competition’s traditional biennial format.

“The AFCON, because this is one of the issues we’re talking about, we took a decision as Africa because there were lots of issues, but I can guarantee you we have discussed it over the last few days to say we are looking at everything, including having the AFCON coming back every two years,” he said.

Motsepe’s remarks suggest that the four-year cycle announced last December could still be reconsidered as CAF weighs the tournament’s scheduling against the broader interests of African football.

Meanwhile, the CAF president reaffirmed the organisation’s unanimous support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, whose leadership has faced criticism in some quarters.

Infantino, who has led FIFA for a decade, highlighted the investments made by the world governing body in African football during the conference.

Motsepe also dismissed concerns about preparations for the next AFCON, scheduled to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in 2027.

His assurance followed media reports from France suggesting that some construction projects were behind schedule and that certain CAF members were advocating a change of host countries.

The CAF president maintained that the tournament would proceed as planned, expressing confidence in the host nations despite the challenges associated with organising a competition of such magnitude.

“You have to believe in Africa. There will be problems, there will be failures, fine, but we will be there. That’s what Mandela taught us,” he said.

CAF Reopens Debate on AFCON’s Four-Year Cycle

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