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The Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unanimously decided to restore the Africa Cup of Nations’ two-year cycle, reversing an earlier decision to hold the tournament every four years.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe said the decision followed a reassessment of the format announced last year, with the Executive Committee considering the challenges involved in launching the proposed African Nations League.

The review took into account the time the new competition would need to generate sufficient revenue to strengthen African football, improve the global competitiveness of CAF competitions and ensure financial sustainability.

Motsepe said the African Nations League, which had been expected to replace AFCON and take place every two years, could require several years to deliver tangible financial and developmental benefits. This prompted the Executive Committee to reconsider its earlier decision.

He stressed that restoring the previous system was necessary to protect the interests of African football, CAF’s 54 member associations and African players based at clubs outside the continent.

On the tournament’s schedule, Motsepe said the next edition would take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, followed by editions in 2028, 2031 and 2033.

He added that an edition in 2030 would not be possible because it would coincide with the FIFA World Cup, citing what he described as FIFA’s longstanding practice of not staging AFCON or other continental national-team tournaments in the same year as the World Cup.