VIDEO SHOWS: PRESS CONFERENCE WITH PATRICE MOTSEPE RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: RABAT, MOROCCO (DECEMBER 20, 2025) (STATS PERFORM – Access all) 1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAF PRESIDENT, PATRICE MOTSEPE, SAYING: “In discussions with all our stakeholders and taking into account the global fixtures, the AFCON will now take place once every four years. Because historically the AFCON was the prime focus where we could get resources to fund African football. In terms of this new dispensation, we will be getting resources every year.” 2. WHITE FLASH 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAF PRESIDENT, PATRICE MOTSEPE, SAYING: “We've got the most exciting new structure for African football, which will contribute to sustainable financial independence and financial self-support for the African continent for many, many years.” 4. WHITE FLASH 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAF PRESIDENT, PATRICE MOTSEPE, SAYING: “We have a duty to the African players that are playing overseas. And we want to make sure that in all our competitions that – of course, our primary duty is to African football and to the 1.5 billion people on the continent. But we also have a duty to these players in Africa who are playing in some of the best football clubs in the world and in Europe. And we want to make sure that the global fixtures, the global calendar – and this is where (FIFA deputy secretary general) Mattias (Grafstrom) and (FIFA president) Gianni (Infantino) have really done excellent work – that there is more synchronization, and the global calendar allows the best African players, every year, to be in Africa during the window as part of this new competition, the African Nations League.” 6. WHITE FLASH 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAF PRESIDENT, PATRICE MOTSEPE, SAYING: “I think part of the progress is to make sure that the fixtures, the calendar, the football calendar of the world is significantly more synchronized. Is significantly more in harmony, is in the interest of Africa, Europe, CONMEBOL. It's in the interests of the national teams, it’s in the interest of the clubs, it’s in the interest of the players. And it’s also in the interest of football all over the world.” STORY: The Africa Cup of Nations will in the future be held every four years instead of every two years, the Confederation of African Football said on Saturday (December 20). The surprise decision was made at the body's executive committee meeting in the Moroccan capital and announced at a press conference by CAF President Patrice Motsepe. The tournament, which brings in an estimated 80% of CAF’s revenue, has traditionally been held every two years since its inception in 1957. Sunday (December 21) marks the start of the 35th edition, hosted in Morocco with the home team taking on Comoros. Motsepe said the next Cup of Nations finals, scheduled for 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will go ahead and then another tournament would be held in 2028 but after that it will be hosted every four years. Motsepe announced the launch of an African Nations League annually from 2029 to fill the gap, following the example of Europe which holds its championship every four years. “Historically, the Nations Cup was the prime resource for us, but now we will get financial resources every year," he said. “It is an exciting new structure which will contribute to sustainable financial independence and ensure more synchronisation with the FIFA calendar.” Holding the Cup of Nations every four years had been previously proposed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, but this had been rebuffed by CAF because of their reliance on the revenues that the tournament generates. The timing of AFCON has long courted controversy because it has usually been hosted in the middle of the European season, forcing clubs to release their African players. This tug of loyalty was supposed to be solved by moving the Cup of Nations to mid-year from 2019, but later tournaments in Cameroon in 2022 and Ivory Coast in 2024 were again hosted at the start of the year. This year's tournament in Morocco was moved back six months when FIFA introduced a new-look Club World Cup, which was hosted in the U.S. in June and July. Motsepe also said there would be an immediate increase in prize money, with the winners of this edition getting $10 million compared to $7 million for the last Cup of Nations won by Ivory Coast. (Production: Kurt Michael Hall)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
