Motsepe signals likely return to biennial Africa Cup of Nations

Patrice Motsepe says the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will announce a decision “very soon” on whether the Africa Cup of Nations should return to a two-year cycle.

The CAF president confirmed there was strong support among the organisation’s 54 member federations for restoring the tournament’s traditional schedule, after it was announced in December that the competition would move to a four-year format.

Speaking in Doha, Qatar, at the CNN Global Perspectives event, Motsepe addressed the issue one day after a consultation with all 54 federations closed. The associations had been asked to state their preference between a biennial Africa Cup of Nations and a tournament held every four years.

Although Motsepe has not formally withdrawn the reform, his latest comments suggest the proposal is likely to be reversed.

“I announced a few weeks ago, in Cape Verde, that we would review this issue. There was broad support for returning to an Africa Cup of Nations every two years, which is something I have always supported,” Motsepe said.

“I have received a lot of correspondence from our member associations about what should happen, namely holding the Africa Cup of Nations every two years. A decision will be made and I am convinced it will be the right one. We will announce it very soon,” he added.

According to SABC Sport, CAF’s acting secretary general Samson Adamu sent a circular to the 54 African federations this week, asking them to choose between the two formats. The deadline for submitting their positions was Wednesday, 28 October.

The initial responses appear to have been overwhelmingly in favour of keeping the historic schedule, a direction also reported by Afrik-Foot when the consultation was first announced.

The possible U-turn comes at an awkward time for CAF. On 20 December 2025, shortly before the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Motsepe announced that the competition would move to a four-year cycle after the 2027 and 2028 editions.

That would have represented a major change for a tournament staged every two years since its creation in 1957. The decision immediately prompted widespread criticism across the continent, with many observers viewing it as a concession to the interests of FIFA and European clubs.

It also raised a significant financial question: how would the loss of Africa Cup of Nations revenue be offset when the tournament is the main source of funding for other African competitions?

CAF had said a proposed African Nations League would help address that problem. However, the organisation acknowledged during its recent consultation that a new competition could take several years to generate comparable income.

CAF was already considering reversing the decision on 9 October, before Motsepe confirmed that possibility at a conference in Cape Verde.

The potential return to a biennial tournament has also been backed by Cote d’Ivoire manager Herve Renard, who recently told Afrik-Foot he opposed holding the Africa Cup of Nations every four years.

The change could be formally approved at CAF’s ordinary general assembly in Abuja, Nigeria, on 21 November.