The African football calendar is set for a major overhaul, with the Africa Cup of Nations moving from a biennial to a four-year cycle after the 2027 edition.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe announced the change in Morocco ahead of the 2025 AFCON, confirming that the 2027 tournament in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will go ahead as planned. The following edition will then be staged in 2028 before AFCON moves to a quadrennial schedule from 2032.

To provide more regular high-level competition, CAF will launch an African Nations League in 2029. The tournament will involve all 54 member associations, divided into four regional zones, with matches played during the September and October international windows before regional winners meet in November to determine an overall champion.

Motsepe said the new competition would help provide annual competitive football while creating a more consistent revenue stream for CAF and its member associations. The change is intended to reduce the organisation’s reliance on AFCON, which has historically generated the majority of its income.

The announcement comes as the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign begins, with Côte d’Ivoire hosting Ghana in a high-profile Group C opener at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké on Thursday.

The match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. GMT kick-off and is one of the headline fixtures in the opening round of qualification. The group also contains The Gambia and Somalia, who meet on September 25. Ghana will then host The Gambia on September 29, while Côte d’Ivoire travel to face Somalia.

The opening two matchdays are being played between September 24 and October 6, with 48 nations competing across 12 qualifying groups. The top two teams in each group will secure places at the 2027 tournament.

Côte d’Ivoire reached the quarter-finals of the most recent AFCON, while Ghana missed the tournament after failing to qualify. That history adds significance to a meeting between two of West Africa’s most prominent football nations as both begin the road to the 2027 finals.