Confusion at the African Confederation
Press reports have revealed opposition from prominent officials within the Confederation of <a href="https://absafricatv.com/new-hub-for-african-cinema-opens-in-uk-capital/” title=”New hub for African cinema opens in UK capital”>African Football (CAF) to the proposal to return to staging the Africa Cup of Nations every two years, amid a reconsideration of the decision to hold the competition once every four years, which had previously been announced before the start of the 2025 edition.
According toinvestigative journalist Romain Molina, Ahmed Ould Yahya, president of the Mauritanian Football Federation, and Souleiman Hassan Waberi, president of the Djiboutian Football Federation, both voted against a return to the two-year cycle during discussions within CAF’s executive committee.
Why they took that stance remains unclear. The report notes they are a minority on the executive committee, where most members lean towards a biennial tournament because of the money it brings in.
A retreat from holding the tournament every four years
Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football, had announced before the start of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations a move towards holding the tournament every four years instead of every two, with the new system due to be applied from 2028.
Motsepe has since opened the door to a review of that decision, confirming on the sidelines of a strategic conference in Cape Verde last week that a return to the previous system is under study.
It’s a clear retreat from the position announced previously. Debate now centres on the economics of a four-year cycle, with supporters of the biennial format arguing that fewer editions will hit CAF’s finances hard, given the tournament ranks among its most important
Conflict of interests behind the change to the Africa Cup of Nations format
Molina’s analysis points to political considerations and the balance of international interests as possible factors behind the rethink, alongside the financial calculations tied to the tournament.
The four-year cycle had been seen as a concession to Europe’s major clubs, according to the report, with those sides struggling because they must release their African players for international duty mid-season.
Tension between the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) may also have shifted the calculations and revived the previous system, the report adds, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino enjoying CAF’s backing.
These developments are tied to the fallout from a disclosed and unrealised project concerning the privatisation of shares linked to the World Cup. The report considers the conflict between world football’s power brokers one of the factors reshaping positions on how often the African tournament is staged.
