Africa Cup of Nations set for every four years from after 2028 tournament

African football leader Patrice Motsepe disclosed on Saturday that the Africa Cup of Nations is due to occur every four years after the 2028 event, representing a substantial alteration to its present two-year format.

The head of the Confederation of African Football shared this update amid a broad overhaul of international football in Africa, aimed at better aligning with the crowded worldwide schedule.

Hosting the AFCON biennially has long provided essential income for African national teams, yet Motsepe noted that a new yearly African Nations League, akin to the UEFA Nations League, will now enhance funding alternatives.

"Our focus now is on this AFCON but in 2027 we will be going to Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, and the AFCON after that will be in 2028," Motsepe told reporters in Rabat on Saturday, on the eve of the opening game of this year's Morocco-hosted Cup of Nations.

"Then after the FIFA Club World Cup in 2029 we will have the first African Nations League... with more prize money, more resources, more competition.

"As part of this arrangement, the AFCON now will take place once every four years."

The Cup of Nations has typically taken place at intervals of two years since its inaugural tournament in 1957, though in the past 15 years it has faced challenges in securing a suitable slot within the international calendar.

This year's event in Morocco marks the eighth such competition since the 2012 version in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.