Story by Anashe Murombedzi
THE Confederation of African Football has unveiled plans to expand the Africa Cup of Nations from 24 to 28 teams, in a move designed to widen participation and accelerate football development across the continent.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe said the proposal would open the door for more nations to compete at Africa’s premier football tournament, with over half of the organisation’s 54 member associations set to benefit from increased qualification opportunities.
The expansion forms part of a broader reform agenda that includes the introduction of a new African Nations League structure from 2029. The model will feature annual regional competitions, alongside a pan-African tournament held every two years, mirroring the current AFCON format.
“The African Nations league competitions will be two of them, the first one will be the African Nations league continental, which will take the format every year of the regions and zones. The other one will be the African Nations league PAN African which will be identical to current AFCON that will come in every two years with 24 countries, and in every four years we’ll have the AFCON and the difference there is the AFCON will have 28 nations rather than the current 24, the commitment we have made of having world class football on the African continent with the best African players will proceed,” said Motsepe.
He added that the reforms are aimed at creating a more structured and predictable football calendar, while raising the competitiveness of African teams on the global stage.
The 2027 AFCON tournament will go ahead as scheduled, co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, before the competition transitions to a four-year cycle after 2028.
The proposed expansion marks a significant shift in African football, with CAF positioning the changes as a catalyst for broader inclusion, stronger competition and long-term growth of the game across the continent.
