CAF Reverses Course, Afcon Stays on Two-Year Cycle

The Africa Cup of Nations will keep its two-year rhythm after the Confederation of African Football reversed a decision it took last December. That decision would have stretched the continental tournament out to once every four years. CAF has now dropped the idea, and the calendar stays as it is.

For national teams, players and clubs that plan around the tournament, the U-turn means little change to the schedule they already work with. Afcon has run on a shorter cycle for years, so the reversal keeps the event at the frequency fans and federations have come to expect.

The source material does not set out in detail what led CAF to change its mind, and that is the question most worth putting to the confederation. Until it explains its reasoning in full, the reversal reads as a return to the status quo rather than a new long-term policy, and the next editions will show whether the two-year model holds.