The Africa Cup of Nations will be played every four years from 2028, following a landmark decision announced on Saturday by Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Football kits
Motsepe announced during a press conference at the Moulay Abdellah Complex, describing the move as a strategic step aimed at better aligning African football with FIFA’s international calendar and competition windows.
Under the new arrangement, the tournament will shift from its traditional biennial format to a four-year cycle beginning with the 2028 edition.
With this, the Africa Cup of Nations will now be played in even-numbered years and will also be held in the same year as the Olympic Games.
The Africa Cup of Nations began as an odd-numbered year competition in 1957 and was held for the first time in an even-numbered year in 1962 before taking a definitive even-numbered year format at the 1968 edition.
That ran till the 2012 edition, when an odd-numbered year was adopted from 2013. The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will still go ahead as planned. That tournament will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and will be staged in the summer, as previously announced.
Motsepe explained that the revised cycle is designed to ease pressure on players, clubs and national teams, while allowing CAF competitions to fit more smoothly into the global football ecosystem.
In addition to the calendar reform, the CAF president revealed a substantial increase in prize money for the Africa Cup of Nations.
The total prize money for the tournament has been raised from USD 7 million to USD 10 million, with the increase taking effect immediately, starting from the edition that kicks off this Sunday in Morocco.
CAF’s major club competitions will also benefit from enhanced financial rewards. Motsepe confirmed that prize money for both the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup will be increased, although specific figures will be announced after the conclusion of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.
