CAF says planned switch of Africa Cup of Nations to four-year cycle is under review

Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe said on Friday at a strategy conference in Cape Verde that the proposed move to stage the Africa Cup of Nations every four years is under review and the tournament could return to a two-year cycle. Senegal is waiting to hear the result of an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after being stripped of the Afcon title it thought it had won in January.

The Africa Cup of Nations has been held every two years since 1968, with the only recent exception a one-year gap between the 2012 and 2013 editions. In December 2025, CAF announced it would shift to a four-year cycle after the 2027 Afcon in East Africa and a 2028 edition. That planned alteration to the schedule drew widespread criticism across the continent.

National associations raised concerns about the visibility of their teams, the commercial implications of the change and where Africa's biggest competition would sit in the international football calendar. Those objections were part of the response that followed CAF's December 2025 announcement.

Senegal are waiting to hear the result of an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after being stripped of the Afcon title they thought they had won in January. BBC posed the question "Afcon final to play out in court - when will Morocco or Senegal be crowned champions?"

Speaking on Friday at a Confederation of African Football (Caf) strategy conference in Cape Verde, president Patrice Motsepe said: "We've discussed it over the last few days. "We are looking at everything, including having the Afcon coming back every two years. We are very clear, the matter is being reviewed."