Africa Cup of Nations to Switch to Four-Year Cycle from 2028
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be held every four years starting from 2028, with the next finals in 2027 hosted jointly by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. This comes after a 2028 tournament before the new four-year cycle begins. Since its inception in 1957, AFCON has been a biennial event and accounts for about 80% of the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) revenue.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe announced the introduction of an annual African Nations League from 2029, designed to fill the gap left by the shift to a four-year cycle and to better align with the FIFA calendar. The change aims to create sustainable financial independence for CAF and to synchronize CAF's schedule with FIFA.
AFCON's scheduling has historically been controversial due to its timing in the football season, causing challenges for clubs and players. Previous attempts to move the tournament to mid-year did not last, and the 2025 edition was recently rescheduled because of the Club World Cup.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino had proposed moving AFCON to a four-year cycle, but CAF had resisted for years due to its heavy reliance on revenues from the tournament. The move to a quadrennial format reflects a strategy to generate stable annual resources and improve calendar alignment.
The 35th edition of AFCON is currently underway in Morocco, with the opening match featuring the host nation against Comoros.
