President of Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe has revealed that the organisation is actively discussing a return to hosting the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) every two years. Speaking at a CAF strategy conference in Cape Verde on Friday, Motsepe’s remarks were met with enthusiastic applause from delegates.
The potential shift comes in the wake of widespread public and official pushback against CAF’s previous decision to space the marquee continental championship across a four-year cycle. “We have discussed things over the last few days and are looking at everything, including having the AFCON come back every two years,” Motsepe announced to the room.
Last December, CAF had originally laid out plans to transition into a four-year gap between tournaments, with scheduled editions in 2027 and 2028, followed by a jump to 2032, in order to accommodate a lucrative, newly introduced annual African Nations League format. However, critics argued that stretching out the timeline would dilute the tournament’s massive cultural footprint, harm African football’s global presence, and cut vital revenues.
With Motsepe confirming that a biennial return is officially under review, African football governance appears ready to listen to the overwhelming sentiment of its fans and federations.