Afcon Returns To Two-Year Cycle

CAF reverses its four-year format decision, keeps Africa Cup of Nations biennial, with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to host Afcon 2027.

The Africa Cup of Nations will return to its traditional two-year cycle after a reversal by the Confederation of African Football, announced on Friday 30 October 2026.

CAF had said in December that the tournament would be held every four years, in line with other continental competitions, but the executive committee has now undone that decision following a review.

The next edition will be played in 2027, jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, followed by tournaments in 2028, 2031 and 2033. There will be no Afcon in 2030 because of the World Cup that year.

Why the plan was abandoned

The four-year model was built around an African Nations League intended to replace Afcon as CAF’s flagship biennial property.

In its statement, CAF accepted that the new competition would take several years to generate the revenue required to become self-sufficient, leaving the existing tournament as the dependable asset.

President Patrice Motsepe said the decision to reinstate the biennial Afcon “aims to advance, protect and promote the interests of African football and the 54 Caf Member Associations, as well as those of African players playing for clubs outside the continent”.

The calendar problem persists

Biennial Afcon has long sat awkwardly in the international calendar, with the vast majority of recent editions staged midway through the European club season, disrupting clubs that release players.

The expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, played in June and July last year, compressed the window further and pushed CAF towards mid-season dates. Returning to a two-year cycle resolves the frequency question but not the scheduling one.

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