The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is considering a return to the traditional two-year format of the Africa Cup of Nations 10 months after announcing the continent’s flagship competition will switch to a four-year cycle starting from 2028.

CAF’s president, Patrice Motsepe, hinted at a possible return to a two-year cycle at a three-day strategy conference held in Cape Verde. He added that the matter is still being reviewed and no conclusion has been reached.

“We are looking into bringing AFCON back to every two years. That’s under review,” he said.
The CAF strategy conference attracted major stakeholders on the continent, including presidents of all member nations, national team coaches, and administrators, as they converged to discuss the priorities of the football over the next four years.

CAF had earlier announced in December 2025 during the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco that the competition would be held every four years after the 2027 edition in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

It also proposed a new competition, the African Nations League, modelled like the Euro Nations League, to be held annually except for World Cup years starting from 2029.

The announcements attracted criticism from stakeholders immediately over a perceived FIFA influence on CAF to alter the competition’s format. However, Motsepe denied those claims earlier in the year.

The latest development could see CAF readjust its calendar and abandon bids for the 2028, 2032 and 2036 editions of the four-cycle AFCON as it shifts its attention back to the two-year format.

It is also unclear how the African Nations League will play out when CAF’s Executive Committee makes a decision on the return to the traditional AFCON format.