"enough" It is decided to hold the African Cup of Nations every four years instead of two years
Rabat, December 20 / WAM / The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced today that the African Cup of Nations will be held in the future every four years instead of every two years.
The decision came at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Continental Confederation in the Moroccan capital and was announced by CAF President Patrice Motsepe in a press conference today. The tournament has been held every two years since its launch in 1957.
The 35th edition of the tournament begins tomorrow, Sunday, with the opening match between the host team, Morocco, and the Comoros.
Motsepe said that the next African Cup of Nations finals, scheduled for 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will be held as planned, with another edition being organized in 2028, after which the competition will be held once every four years. Motsepe announced the launch of the African Nations League annually starting in 2029 to fill the gap, following in the footsteps of Europe, which holds a national team tournament every four years. He said, “Historically, the Nations Cup was our main source, but now we will obtain financial resources every year. It is a new and exciting structure that will contribute to achieving sustainable financial independence, and ensuring greater compatibility with FIFA’s agenda.”
“This is in the interest of the teams, clubs and players,” Motsepe added. “I cannot allow players to leave their clubs in Europe in the meantime.”
In the middle of the season, this is not true. We have a responsibility to the players. We know how frustrated they feel when the club tells them they need them, and at the same time the national team wants them.”
He also pointed out that there was an immediate increase in the value of the prizes, as the winner of this edition would receive $10 million, compared to $7 million received by the Ivory Coast team, champions of the previous edition.
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