Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has revealed he is weighing up a return to a biennial Africa Cup of Nations, less than a year after signing off on the switch to a four-year cycle.
Motsepe told the CAF General Assembly in Cape Verde on Friday: "We discussed the matter in recent days, and we are studying all the options, including the return of the Afcon every two years," to applause from those present.
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Back in December 2025, CAF announced the tournament would run every four years rather than every two from 2028, the aim being to bring it into line with the international football calendar.
The decision drew sharp objections, and those complaints have pushed the CAF president to think again.
A billion dollars at stake
There is a hefty financial dimension to all this. British newspaper The Guardian confirmed last August that CAF had been forced to forgo a billion dollars by moving the tournament from every two years to every four.
It all comes at a time when the tournament's image has taken a knock from the scandals that marred the final of the last edition between Morocco and Senegal, according to French network "RMC".
Until the matter is settled, the next Africa Cup of Nations will run from 19 June to 18 July 2027 in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The host nation or nations for the 2028 edition, which was due to be staged before the switch to a four-year cycle, remain undecided.