The Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Patrice Motsepe has announced the introduction of an African Nations League and the shift of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to a four-year cycle.
The changes, revealed on Saturday during a news conference ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, are aimed at aligning Africa’s football calendar with global standards while significantly enhancing the commercial and sporting value of CAF competitions.
Under the new framework, AFCON will be staged every four years from 2028. Motsepe confirmed that the 2027 tournament, to be jointly hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, will proceed as planned. However, the subsequent edition originally slated for 2029 will be brought forward to 2028 to facilitate the transition to a quadrennial cycle. The next AFCON after that will take place in 2032.
The shift paves the way for the launch of the African Nations League, a new annual competition scheduled to debut in 2029. The tournament will involve all 54 CAF member associations, divided into four geographical zones, with matches played during the FIFA international windows in September and October before a finals phase in November.
“What is new is that in Africa there’s going to be a competition every year where the best African players who play in Europe and worldwide will be with us on the continent,” Motsepe said.
Modeled partly on UEFA’s Nations League, the African version is designed to replace low-profile international friendlies with competitive fixtures arranged by divisions. According to Motsepe, CAF has worked closely with FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ensure the new competition fits neatly into the global calendar, running annually between September and November.
CAF believes the reforms will address several long-standing challenges. The biennial AFCON calendar, while historic, has often strained relations with European clubs unhappy about releasing players mid-season.
