Africa Cup of Nations to maintain 2-year cycle after CAF U-turn

A billboard of Senegal's Sadio Mane with the AFCON trophy is displayed on a building in Dakar, Senegal, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. - Copyright © africanews Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved Last updated: 23 minutes ago AFCON The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will maintain its two-year cycle after a U-turn from the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Earlier this month, CAF announced the Africa Nations League as a new biennial competition. It said AFCON would move to a four-year cycle. But in announcing the reversal, CAF said the League would take several years “to contribute the substantial financial resources necessary for CAF Competitions and African Football to be globally competitive and self-supporting.” AFCON’s two-year cycle has caused problems with the global football calendar. When proposing the change, CAF said it would bring the tournament into synch with the European club schedule. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are jointly hosting the next AFCON in 2027.