The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reversed its decision to stage the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) every four years, restoring the continental football tournament to its traditional two-year cycle.
The decision was unanimously approved by the CAF Executive Committee (EXCO) on Thursday, October 29, 2026, following a reassessment of the proposed changes to the competition calendar.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe said the reversal was driven by the need to protect the interests of African football, its 54 member associations and players competing in leagues outside the continent.
The decision also means that Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania will host the 2027 AFCON as planned, with the tournament expected to attract football fans from across Africa and beyond.
In a statement, Motsepe said the proposed Africa Nations League, which had been intended to replace the biennial AFCON, would take several years to generate the financial resources needed to support African football and make CAF competitions globally competitive.
“The decision by the CAF EXCO that the CAF AFCON should take place every Two Years was based on advancing, protecting and promoting the interest of African Football and CAF’s 54 Member Associations, as well as the interest of African players employed by Football Clubs outside Africa,” Motsepe said.
He explained that CAF had reconsidered the four-year arrangement after recognising that the proposed Africa Nations League would not immediately provide the substantial financial and football development contributions required to sustain the continent’s competitions.
The new calendar will see the next AFCON take place in 2027 in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, followed by editions in 2028, 2031 and 2033.
Motsepe expressed confidence in the East African countries’ ability to successfully organise the 2027 tournament, which will be a major opportunity for the region to showcase its sporting facilities, tourism attractions and hospitality industry.
“The next TotalEnergies CAF AFCON will take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and I am confident that it will be very successful,” he said.
The CAF president added that the subsequent editions had been scheduled around the FIFA World Cup calendar, with the 2030 World Cup ruling out the staging of the AFCON final tournament during that year.
The decision marks a major change in CAF’s competition plans after the organisation announced last year that AFCON would move from a two-year to a four-year cycle as part of efforts to restructure African football competitions.
The proposed Africa Nations League was intended to provide a major continental competition every two years, maintaining regular international football for African national teams while allowing AFCON to be held every four years.
However, CAF has now acknowledged that the proposed competition would need several years before it could generate the financial returns required to replace the existing AFCON structure.
Motsepe said the biennial competition remains important not only for football development but also for bringing Africans together through sport and celebrating the continent’s cultural diversity.
“The AFCON competition is also about celebrating African Football and Africa’s rich and diverse cultures, customs and traditions and bringing people together from Africa’s 54 Countries, the African Diaspora and throughout the world,” he said.
He added that restoring the two-year cycle was in the best interests of African football and would contribute to the growth and development of the game across the continent.
For Uganda, the decision provides certainty ahead of the 2027 tournament, which the country will co-host with its East African neighbours.
The three countries have been preparing to stage the competition as part of a joint hosting arrangement that is expected to place East Africa at the centre of continental football.
Uganda’s hosting responsibilities are expected to include matches at Mandela National Stadium in Namboole, alongside other approved tournament facilities, as preparations continue towards the competition.
The 2027 AFCON will also offer the region an opportunity to attract international visitors, generate tourism revenue, and showcase its capacity to host major international sporting events.
