The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reportedly contacted all 54 of its member federations to seek their views on whether the Africa Cup of Nations should be held every two years or every four.
The consultation follows CAF president Patrice Motsepe’s announcement several weeks ago that a return to a biennial tournament was under consideration. Federation presidents were reportedly not informed in advance of Motsepe’s intention to propose the change, according to The Guardian.
CAF’s latest move appears intended to involve its member associations more closely in the decision-making process. A decision is expected in November, when the organisation’s executive committee meets in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
According to journalist Ebenezer Michael Danso Deveer, also known as Micky Jnr, CAF has sent a circular to every member association asking them to choose between a two-year and a four-year cycle. The deadline for responses is reportedly Wednesday 28 October.
The circular is also understood to have outlined the possible financial consequences of keeping the Africa Cup of Nations on a four-year schedule.
CAF reportedly warned that maintaining the current cycle would create a financial shortfall and require the organisation to stage another competition to make up for the lost revenue. Motsepe has previously announced plans for an African Nations League to be played every two years.
However, CAF is said to have cautioned that a new tournament could take several years before it began producing significant income for the confederation and its member federations.
Support for a biennial tournament
While the consultation is still under way, the balance of opinion is reportedly in favour of returning to a tournament every two years.
Investigative journalist Romain Molina says most federation presidents support the proposal. The reported exceptions are Ahmed Yahya and Souleiman Waberi, the presidents of the football federations of Mauritania and Djibouti respectively, who also sit on CAF’s executive committee.
The latest proposal comes less than a year after Motsepe made a major announcement in December 2025 that the Africa Cup of Nations would move to a four-year cycle from 2028.
Molina says the reversal is linked to the dispute between UEFA and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has the unconditional backing of CAF, rather than being driven by Africa’s financial interests.
Any change to the tournament’s frequency will be considered formally at the CAF executive committee meeting in Abidjan.
