The Confederation of African Football (CAF) could have better explained its decision to move the Africa Cup of Nations from every two to four years but fell short, the organisation’s president Patrice Motsepe said on Saturday.
The decision was announced last month and came under heavy criticism, with several African football personalities claiming it was a measure forced on Africa by FIFA, whose president Gianni Infantino had advocated six years ago that the Cup of Nations should be played quadrennially instead of every two years.
Motsepe rejected Zurich’s claims of undue influence and said they would continue with the Cup of Nations every four years after 2028, and introduce an African Nations League in 2029.
«We have not done a very good job at CAF in preparing the ground for this Afcon every four years. We have to make sure that our ordinary people, to whom we are accountable, understand what we have done is good for them,» Motsepe told a news conference on the eve of the final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat.
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«This is the right decision. We will indeed have a new league, and it will be hugely successful. African football will be better,» he added.
«We need to liberate ourselves as Africans and have more confidence. It shouldn’t be about FIFA saying this or UEFA. We can be convinced that we are doing the right things, but it is important that everyone on the continent is also convinced that we are doing the right things. We have to educate our people about the decisions we have made. We know that in two, three years’ time people will see what we are talking about.»
The reason Africa holds its Cup of Nations every two years, while other confederations play theirs every four years, is because revenue from the tournament used to make up about 80 percent of CAF’s budget.
However, Motsepe said: «The revenue from the Afcon is significantly lower than the revenue we achieved for the African Nations League. We are absolutely convinced that it will work.»
Published on January 17, 2026
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