The Africa Cup of Nations will expand to 28 teams from the 2027 edition as CAF unveiled a revamped tournament format aimed at broadening participation across the continent….reports Asian Lite News Desk
CAF president Patrice Motsepe has confirmed that the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will expand to 28 teams from the 2027 edition, marking the biggest change to the continental championship’s format as the governing body seeks to broaden participation and strengthen African football.
The expanded tournament will be staged in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027. Under the new format, the group stage will feature seven groups of four teams, with CAF expected to announce the qualification system in due course.
The qualifiers for the 2027 finals will be played across three international windows: September 21 to October 6, 2026, November 9 to 17, 2026, and March 22 to 30, 2027.
Motsepe said the expansion reflects CAF’s long-term vision to grow the competition following previous reforms, including changes to the tournament cycle.
Alongside the expansion of AFCON, CAF announced a significant increase in prize money for the 2026 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The winners’ prize has doubled by 100 per cent to USD 2 million, while the total prize fund has risen by 67 per cent from USD 3.475 million to USD 5.8 million. The runners-up will receive USD 750,000 following a 50 per cent increase, while the third-placed team will also receive an enhanced payout.
Each of the 16 participating national teams will receive USD 150,000 in participation funding, an increase of 20 per cent from the USD 125,000 awarded at the previous edition.
CAF said that since the current leadership took office, the WAFCON winners’ prize has increased by 900 per cent from USD 200,000 to USD 2 million, while the overall prize fund has grown by 495 per cent from USD 975,000 to USD 5.8 million. The confederation also highlighted the expansion of WAFCON from eight to 16 teams as part of its investment in the women’s game.
Motsepe also praised the performances of African nations at the FIFA World Cup 2026, where nine of the continent’s 10 representatives progressed from the group stage to the Round of 32, representing the highest qualification rate in Africa’s history at the tournament.
Africa accounted for 20.8 per cent of the 48 teams at the World Cup but made up 28.1 per cent of the nations reaching the knockout stage. Egypt and Morocco advanced to the Round of 16, with Morocco reaching the quarter-finals for a second consecutive World Cup.
“Significant progress and successes were achieved by the African National Teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and I am very proud of their performances. The 9 African National Teams that qualified from the Group Stage to the Round of 32 made history at the FIFA World Cup 2026, as this is 90% of the African National Teams that participated, and is the highest percentage to qualify to date.
“The previous percentages of the African National Teams to qualify to the Knockout Stage were; 40% in 2022, none in 2018 and 40% in 2014. We have also identified specific areas where there is room for improvement and I am confident that the coaches, technical teams and players will implement the necessary improvements.”
Motsepe said CAF would convene a conference involving coaches, technical experts, former players and other stakeholders to evaluate Africa’s World Cup performances and formulate recommendations ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
He added that CAF would continue investing in coaching, youth development, domestic leagues and football infrastructure across its 54 member associations, while expressing confidence that an African nation would eventually win the FIFA World Cup.
