By AnchorNews Sports Desk

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced sweeping reforms to Africa’s football calendar, unveiling plans to introduce an African Nations League while shifting the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from its traditional two-year cycle to a four-year format.

The announcement was made on Saturday by CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, at a press briefing ahead of the 2025 AFCON tournament scheduled to take place in Morocco.

Motsepe confirmed that the 2027 AFCON, to be jointly hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, will go ahead as planned. He added that the next edition, originally fixed for 2029, has now been rescheduled for 2028, with the following tournament set for 2032.

He explained that the adjustment in AFCON’s timeline is intended to accommodate the launch of the African Nations League, which is expected to commence in 2029. The competition will feature all 54 CAF member nations and will be organised into four regional zones across the continent.

According to Motsepe, matches in the African Nations League will be played during the September and October international windows, while the finals are expected to hold in November, in line with FIFA’s international match schedule.

The CAF president noted that the new competition is designed to ensure that Africa’s elite footballers, including those plying their trade in Europe and other parts of the world, return regularly to the continent to represent their countries. He said the initiative would guarantee the presence of top African talents on African soil on a consistent basis.

CAF has yet to clarify whether the African Nations League will be staged annually or every two years, indicating that further details regarding its format and structure will be announced in due course.

The introduction of the African Nations League, alongside the restructuring of AFCON, is expected to significantly redefine Africa’s football landscape, with prospects of enhanced competitiveness, greater commercial appeal and increased global attention for the continent’s national teams.