AFCON set to be changed to four-year cycle as CAF introduces new tournament

The President of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe, has announced that the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be moved to a four-year cycle after the 2027 edition, Soccernet.ng reports.

​The AFCON is the biggest football tournament on the continent. Since its official start in 1957, it has been a biennial tournament, with only a few exceptions.

​The last change to the frequency of the competition occurred in 2012, when CAF moved the tournament to odd years instead of even years.

Nigeria was the biggest beneficiary of that change, as the Super Eagles won the subsequent 2013 edition in South Africa. Since then, the competition has been held every two years.

​However, the African showpiece is set to witness another shift—one that will be the biggest in the history of the tournament.

​In an event in Morocco on Saturday, CAF President Motsepe announced that the AFCON will be held every four years following the 2027 edition.

This change is due to the introduction of a new African Nations League, which will be held annually starting in 2029.

BREAKING: The Africa Cup of Nations (#AFCON) is set for a scheduling change.#CAF President Patrice Motsepe has confirmed that after #AFCON 2027 in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, the tournament will switch to a four-year cycle, with the next editions slated for 2028, 2032 and 2036. pic.twitter.com/OmV6z4bgqW

— Ayomide Oguntimehin (@ayo_oguntimehin) December 20, 2025

What The Shift In The AFCON Scheduling Means

This new update means that after the 2027 edition of the AFCON which will be hosted by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, the next tournament will be in 2028.

But after that, the net editions will be in 2032, 2036, and every four years from then on. The scheduling shift is to ease the workload on the African players and also increase the popularity of CAF's new competition.

Details of the proposed African Nations League have not been revealed yet. But CAF will definitely make a release on the tournament soon, and it will likely mirror the UEFA Nations League.

In the meantime, CAF will be focused on the smooth hosting of the 2025 edition of its biggest competition,  which kicks off on Sunday in Morocco.