Landmark African Football Shake-Up: AFCON Switches to Four-Year Cycle in 2028, New Annual Nations League Announced

Landmark African Football Shake-Up: AFCON Switches to Four-Year Cycle in 2028, New Annual Nations League Announced

In a game-changing revamp of the continent’s football calendar, Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has confirmed the beloved Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will end its 55-year biennial tradition to become a four-yearly showpiece starting in 2028. To keep fans hooked on top-tier national team action year-round, Motsepe also unveiled a new annual African Nations League set to launch in 2029.

Since 1968, AFCON has been a twice-a-decade highlight for football-crazy communities across Africa with only a one-off one-year gap between the 2012 and 2013 editions. Under the new plan, the 2027 tournament (hosted by East Africa) will be followed by a standalone 2028 AFCON, after which the competition will shift to a four-year cycle, aligning it with global heavyweights like the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro.

Motsepe framed the shift as a necessary step to prioritize Africa’s place in the global football ecosystem, addressing a long-simmering pain point for players, clubs, and fans alike. For years, the biennial AFCON has sparked tensions between national federations and European club sides, who lose key African players for weeks mid-season leading to player fatigue, disrupted club campaigns, and frustration for supporters on both continents.

“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.”

To ensure fans don’t face a four-year drought between high-stakes international football, the new African Nations League will fill the gap starting in 2029. The annual competition promises consistent, competitive matches across the continent, giving emerging players a platform to shine and keeping the passion for African national team football alive year-round.

The overhaul marks the most significant shake-up of African football’s schedule in decades, with Motsepe positioning the changes as a way to elevate the sport’s global profile while honoring the needs of the fans, players, and clubs that make African football thrive.