It is a real revolution and a stone in the water launched by the South African Patrice Motsepe, the president of CAF, the Confederation of African Football. On Saturday, on the eve of the launch of the 2025 edition in Morocco, the leader announced that the African Cup of Nations will now be played every four years and no longer every two years from 2028. A change aimed at harmonizing the global football calendar where competitions are multiplying.
A change in calendar offset by the creation of a new annual competition inspired by the UEFA Nations League, adapted to the African continent, which will begin in 2029.
Among the African football players present for CAN 2025 and all surprised by the announcement, it was the Belgian coach of Mali, Tom Saintfiet, who lit the first fuse by attacking CAF and FIFA, whom he suspects of being behind this decision.
“Since 1957, Africa has organized the CAN every two years. But they now say it will take place every four years. This is not normal. We must respect Africa,” he thundered before his Eagles’ first match.
His compatriot, Paul Put, Uganda coach, asked the question directly: “Maybe the problem is with the World Cup and the Club World Cup? », he pretended to wonder, acting as spokesperson for many of Gianni Infantino’s detractors, who accuse the president of the international football federation of favoring his competitions at the expense of the CAN.
Since 1957, Africa has organized the CAN every two years
FIFA was already in the crosshairs of African selectors since its decision to delay by one week the date set for clubs to make their internationals available to their selection for CAN 2025.
“FIFA has decided that players must play their last club match six or seven days before a major tournament. Two of my players were injured during their last matches (Sikou Niakaté and Hamari Traoré),” stormed Saintfiet.
“Of course our first duty is to African football, but we also have a duty to African players playing in the best clubs in Europe,” Motsepe underlined on Saturday. We want to ensure that there is more synchronization and that the global calendar allows the best African players to be in Africa every year. »
Even within CAF, however, Motsepe is criticized, by changing the frequency of the CAN, for allowing powerful European clubs – where most African stars play – and FIFA to no longer be forced to release their African internationals every two years for more than a month.
“The committee was not consulted before this decision was announced. We were surprised because it raises organizational questions which require in-depth discussions before a final decision can be taken,” said a source within the body’s competitions department.
A change which will require two consecutive editions in 2027 and 2028
“Organizing two consecutive editions of the CAN is extremely difficult, especially since the 2027 tournament will take place in the summer, which means that we only have two international breaks to organize the qualifications for the 2028 edition if it must take place at the start of the year,” she detailed.
And if this had already happened during the 2012 and 2013 editions, “at the time, continues this source, the tournament only had 16 teams, and not 24, and the qualifications were done by direct confrontations, and not by group stages, which is difficult to reproduce today”.
The continent’s coaches are asking to see what this change in calendar will really bring about.
“With this change and this new competition (the League of Nations), there will perhaps be a new challenge for the technical staff and the players, in a tournament of the same level and in front of a large audience”, wanted to be positive Samir Trabelsi, the Tunisian coach, skeptical a priori.
“There are positive aspects and others less”, philosophized Walid Regragui, his Moroccan counterpart, adding, nostalgically: “The biennial format of the CAN allowed many teams to progress and develop, or to rebuild quickly after a failure. We are well placed to see this. »
A little taken by surprise, the Algerian captain, Riyad Mahrez became the spokesperson for the supporters of the measure: “I think it will make the competition more attractive,” replied the Algerian striker.
