According to African football governing body Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe, the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) might be expanded to 28 teams in the future. He announced this plan at a press conference on Friday.
The tournament that is presently played by 24 teams was increased from 16 in the past few years, and another expansion is presently under the microscope. Motsepe didn’t indicate a time for the change or explain how a bigger team could be organised; however, he said that it would give more teams among CAF’s 54 member associations the possibility to participate in the continent’s flagship competition, the African Cup of Nations.
After 2028, Motsepe confirmed that the tournament will be held every four years, ending the tradition of two years cycle (since 1968), which is the current format of the competition. Following the completion of a 24-nation edition, the plan to host the tournament every four years did not receive popular approval, but it is still part of the long-term schedule of CAF.
Taking against the rumours about the change of the venue of the 2027 tournament, he said that the three nations co-hosting the tournament, i.e. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, are going to put up a successful show.
In line with disciplining the players, Motsepe condemned the behaviour which marred the 2025 final game between Senegal and Morocco and promised changes to the CAF laws for imposing stricter punishments to protect the integrity of the game with a higher level of caution, on the one hand, and the reputation of African football, on the other hand, globally.
