The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled plans to expand the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to 28 participating teams, up from the current 24.
Gatekeepers News reports that CAF President Patrice Motsepe announced the proposal on Friday during the confederation’s executive committee press conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
AFCON currently features 24 teams, and the planned expansion would allow four additional countries to qualify for each edition.
Motsepe said the move aligns with CAF’s long-term vision to increase the frequency and global relevance of the tournament.
“I had said in Morocco that CAF’s objective is to have AFCON or the equivalent of AFCON every year. Not every two years. And AFCON, as we know it, we want to increase it to 28 countries. As we said, that will take place once every four years,” he said.
However, the CAF president did not specify when the expansion would take effect.
The next edition of AFCON will be held in 2027 and co-hosted by Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya.
In December 2025, CAF announced that AFCON will be staged every four years starting from 2028, marking a major departure from the traditional biennial format that had been in place since the competition’s inception.
The confederation also disclosed plans to launch the African Nations League in 2029.
Motsepe added that while AFCON generates the bulk of CAF’s revenue, the introduction of the Nations League would create a new income stream and strengthen the confederation’s financial base.
