Rabat – Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has once again discussed his new project to launch the “African Nations League,” a competition he had initially announced ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025.
During a press conference following CAF’s Executive Committee meeting, Motsepe outlined the new strategy, which will feature two main formats.
The first tournament will be called “African Nations League – Continental,” scheduled to be held annually. National teams will compete within their geographical zones, with the top two teams from each other’s zone qualifying for a final tournament. These finals will take place every two years in a neutral host country, bringing together representatives from across the continent.
The second tournament will be the “African Nations League – Pan African”, which Motsepe said “will closely mirror the current AFCON format” as it will also be held every two years. He added that AFCON will expand to 28 teams instead of 24 and will now be played every four years. The Pan African league is particularly meant to include professional players who compete in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
He also confirmed that the next edition of the AFCON would take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as planned, followed by another edition in 2028, before the tournament settles into its future four-year-cycle.
