• CAF has severally moved the dates of AFCON

• There’s also no fixed date for the AFCON by CAF

• President Patrice Motsepe has insisted that CAF will always put its interest first

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Wednesday that the next Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), originally planned for summer 2025 in Morocco, has been rescheduled to early 2026.

The change of the AFCON date due to a scheduling conflict with the newly formatted Club World Cup.

CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba explained the decision, stating that the AFCON, initially set for summer 2025, will now take place at the beginning of 2026.

This adjustment was made to avoid overlapping with the Club World Cup, scheduled from June 15 to July 13, 2025, in the United States.

The revamped Club World Cup will feature 32 clubs, including four African teams: Al-Ahly, Wydad Casablanca, Espérance Tunis, and Mamelodi Sundowns.

Many African players are expected to participate, representing clubs from Africa, Europe, and Asia.

CAF had faced multiple inquiries about how it would handle the scheduling conflict. Ultimately, the organization decided to postpone its premier tournament.

“We could play AFCON after the Club World Cup, but would it be in the interest of the players, who have played all season, to go to America and then immediately participate in AFCON?,” said Mosengo-Omba.

This new scheduling poses challenges for Morocco, which had hoped to leverage the tournament to boost its growing tourism industry.

However, the rescheduling will at least help avoid the extreme summer temperatures.