The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially restored the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to its traditional two-year cycle following a unanimous decision by its Executive Committee on Thursday, 29 October 2026.
The move reverses last year’s decision to stage the continent’s flagship national team tournament every four years.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe said the decision followed a reassessment of the proposed Africa Nations League, which was initially expected to replace the biennial AFCON.
Motsepe explained that the proposed competition would require several years before generating the substantial financial resources needed to support African football and make CAF competitions globally competitive and self-sustaining.
The next TotalEnergies AFCON will take place in 2027, co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The subsequent editions are scheduled for 2028, 2031 and 2033.
Motsepe said the decision was made in the best interests of African football, CAF’s 54 member associations and African players competing for clubs outside the continent.
The CAF President also confirmed that the AFCON final tournament will not be staged in 2030, the year of the FIFA World Cup, in line with the scheduling tradition for major international competitions.
The decision marks a significant change in CAF’s competition calendar, restoring the biennial format that has long defined Africa’s premier international football tournament.
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