Africa Cup remains a biennial tournament
The African football confederation is reversing an earlier announced change to the tournament cycle.
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The Africa Cup of Nations will remain a biennial tournament. According to the African football confederation CAF, its executive committee has decided to reverse the previously announced switch to a four-year cycle.
CAF announced the decision following a reassessment of the international match calendar. The organisation had previously announced that, after a 2028 edition, the Africa Cup would henceforth be held once every four years.
According to CAF president Patrice Motsepe, the change was linked to plans for a new African national-team competition. That competition would partly replace the biennial cycle, but according to CAF it needs several years to generate sufficient financial resources.
The Africa Cup will therefore continue to be held more frequently than under the previously announced four-year cycle.
CAF says that returning to a biennial schedule should support the financial position and global competitiveness of African football. The organisation has also indicated that there will be no separate Africa Cup in a year in which the World Cup is played.
The decision highlights the tension between national-team tournaments and the increasingly crowded international calendar. European clubs employ many African players, while CAF needs the revenue from the continental tournament to finance competitions and football development. The precise calendar after 2028 has yet to be worked out.
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The decision and the reason for the reassessment can be found in CAF’s official publication. The text distinguishes between the decision taken and the calendar details that remain unclear.
- confirmed CAF has decided to organise the Africa Cup every two years again. — Official announcement by CAF. source
- confirmed According to CAF, the new national-team competition needs several years to become financially viable. — Explanation in CAF’s official publication. source
- confirmed There will be no Africa Cup in a year in which the World Cup is played. — Reported in independent coverage of CAF’s decision. source
Editor's note
CAF’s decision has been confirmed by the confederation itself and by an independent news source. The precise future calendar has not yet been published.Sources
- CAF decides to return to the AFCON taking place every two years — Confédération Africaine de Football
- CAF reverses decision, keeps AFCON biennial — The Straits Times
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „afrika cup”
- Trouw — „afrika cup”
- NRC — „afrika cup”