The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will now be staged every four years, ending the long-standing biennial format, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed.
The decision was announced on Saturday by CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, during a media interaction in Rabat, Morocco.
AFCON has been played every two years since its inception in 1968, with the only notable deviation being the one-year interval between the 2012 and 2013 editions.
Under the new arrangement, the 2027 tournament will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. CAF said the competition will then transition to a four-year cycle after the 2028 edition.
“We have the most exciting new structure for African football,” Motsepe said. “I do what is in the interests of Africa. The global calendar has to be significantly more synchronised and harmonised.”
Motsepe also revealed that CAF will introduce a new annual competition, the Africa Nations League, beginning in 2029, as part of broader reforms aimed at modernising African football and aligning it more closely with the global football calendar.