The Confederation of African Football launched a formal consultation of its 54 member federations on 24 October over the frequency of the AFCON, with a written vote to be submitted by 28 October at the latest, Camer.be reported.
Two years or four? The question has now taken an administrative form. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) sent an official letter and a formal consultation to all its 54 member federations on 24 October, according to Camer.be. The timetable is tight: associations have until Wednesday 28 October 2026 to submit their vote in writing.
The ballot concerns the rhythm of the competition. According to Kawarji, federations must choose between keeping an Africa Cup of Nations every two years and moving to four. A deadline all the more sensitive given that AFCON revenue is the main engine of direct funding distributed to African federations, L’Opinion reports.
A debate reopened in Cape Verde
The procedure did not come out of nowhere. It follows the debate reopened at CAF’s strategic summit held on 9 October 2026 in Cape Verde, Camer.be specifies. CAF president Patrice Motsepe framed the issue in these terms: “We are considering consulting our members on the calendar issue to guarantee the sustainable development of continental football.” The written consultation launched on 24 October puts that announcement into practice.
Positions, however, are not set in stone. Early soundings from the federations are said to indicate a broad preference for preserving the historic two-year rhythm, according to Kawarji. That information, which rests on a single source, is not a result: the written vote remains open until 28 October.
The financial nerve of the issue
Behind the calendar question, it is an economic model that is up for discussion. AFCON TV rights and partnership revenue represent the main engine of direct funding distributed to African federations, L’Opinion stresses. Changing the frequency of the competition therefore means touching the main resource of member associations.
The planned joint creation of a biennial African Nations League, intended to offset the commercial shortfall, is raising serious financial questions, again according to L’Opinion. The same outlet indicates that, based on financial projections, a new Nations League would take several years before generating revenue comparable to that of the AFCON.
Heading for Abuja
The results of the consultation will serve as the basis for the final decision, which will be ratified at CAF’s next General Assembly in Abuja, Camer.be reports. It is therefore in Abuja that the matter should reach its conclusion, with an official presentation and a final vote expected before the governing body of continental football.
Until then, a return to the two-year rhythm remains a hypothesis, not a written outcome. The date of that General Assembly is not specified in the documents relayed by Camer.be, Kawarji and L’Opinion.