BREAKING: AFCON 2028 Plan Under Review as CAF Considers Biennial Tournament Return

Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Dr Patrice Motsepe, has revealed that the governing body is considering a return to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) being held every two years, months after announcing plans to switch the tournament to a four-year cycle.

Motsepe made the disclosure during the CAF Strategy Conference in Cape Verde, where African football leaders met to discuss the future of the game across the continent.

The CAF president said the frequency of AFCON was among the issues being reconsidered, suggesting that the plan to move the competition to a four-year schedule could be reviewed.

“We took a decision as Africa because, and there were lots of issues."

"I can guarantee you we have discussed it over the last few days to say we are looking at everything, including having the AFCON coming back every two years,” Motsepe said.

CAF Reconsiders Four-Year AFCON Plan

AFCON has traditionally been held every two years.

However, CAF announced in December 2025 that the tournament would move to a four-year cycle after the 2028 edition.

Under the original plan, the 2027 tournament, scheduled to be co-hosted by (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda), would be followed by another edition in 2028 before the competition moved to a four-year schedule.

CAF had also planned to introduce a new African Nations League in 2029, giving African national teams another major competition within the international football calendar.

The proposed changes attracted criticism from sections of the African football community, with concerns raised about the impact of reducing the frequency of the continent's flagship national-team tournament.

Motsepe, in his latest comments, suggest that CAF is now willing to reconsider its approach following further discussions with football leaders.

No Final Decision Yet

Amid indications that a return to the two-year cycle is being considered, Motsepe did not announce a formal reversal of the earlier decision or provide a timeline for when the review would be concluded.

He also reflected on the discussions that led to the original change, saying:

"We're very clear."

"There were all sorts of discussions and all sorts of promises and when we looked at it at the time we said, wow, this looks, this is interesting."

The matter remains under review, and any change would require CAF to reconsider its competition calendar and the plans surrounding the proposed African Nations League.

For now, AFCON's return to a biennial schedule remains a possibility rather than a confirmed decision, with the governing body's next steps expected to determine the future format of African football's biggest national-team competition.