The Confederation of African Football announced on Thursday that the Africa Cup of Nations will return to a two-year cycle. CAF said this decision aims to "advance, protect and promote the interests of African football." The tournament will not be held in 2030 to avoid clashing with the World Cup.
The Africa Cup of Nations is set to be held every two years and not four, as it was being planned, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Thursday.
The continental competition has been staged every two years, but CAF decided last December to make it a quadrennial tournament, a decision that was not widely welcomed.
"The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee today unanimously decided that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations will return to taking place every Two Years," CAF said in a statement.
Under the previous plan, the proposed CAF Nations League would have become the continent's biennial competition. However, earlier this month, CAF President Patrice Motsepe said at a strategy conference in Cape Verde that returning AFCON to a two-year cycle was being considered.
CAF said the Nations League would take years to generate enough revenue to sustain African football.
"The decision by the CAF Executive Committee to reinstate the organisation of the AFCON every two years aims to advance, protect and promote the interests of African football and the 54 CAF Member Associations, as well as those of African players playing for clubs outside the continent," Motsepe said in a statement.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will co-host AFCON in 2027, with subsequent tournaments to be held in 2028, 2031 and 2033. The tournament will not be held in 2030, with CAF maintaining its tradition of not staging the tournament in a World Cup year.