AFCON U-turn! CAF scrap controversial four-year plan to reinstate traditional biennial schedule

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has performed a dramatic U-turn by confirming the Africa Cup of Nations will return to its traditional two-year cycle. This major policy shift comes just months after the governing body suggested a move to a quadrennial format.

CAF originally intended to replace the regular Africa Cup of Nations schedule with a newly formed African Nations League. However, executives determined that this proposed competition would need several years to become financially viable and self-sufficient.

As a result, the governing body formally scrapped the four-year blueprint introduced in December. The tournament will remain a biennial fixture, despite long-standing calendar friction with the European club season.

Scheduling continues to present a major logistical headache for organisers. FIFA's newly expanded 32-team Club World Cup, which occupies the June and July window, has forced CAF back into hosting the continental showpiece during the middle of the European domestic campaigns.