🔥 Trending CAF Rejects Proposal to Expand Africa Cup of Nations

CAF Executive Committee Rejects AFCON Expansion to 28 Teams

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee recently rejected a proposal to expand the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from 24 to 28 teams. This decision, which occurred in late June 2026, comes despite CAF President Patrice Motsepe's strong advocacy for the expansion ¹³⁵.

Background of the Proposal

CAF President Patrice Motsepe had championed the vision to increase the number of participating teams, aiming for the expansion to begin with the 2028 edition of the tournament ¹. The idea was initially proposed in February 2026 during a press conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania ⁵. Proponents of the expansion, including Motsepe, argued that it would provide greater inclusion for member associations and reflect CAF's ambition to grow the game across the continent ⁹. They believed further expansion was necessary to match the rapid development of football in Africa, following a previous expansion from 16 to 24 teams in 2019 ⁹.

The Executive Committee's Decision

In a significant turn of events, the CAF Executive Committee officially voted down and dismissed the expansion project ¹. Reports from various sources, including The Guardian, confirmed that the proposal was rejected after an executive vote ³⁵¹⁰. As a result, AFCON is set to remain a 24-team tournament for the foreseeable future ¹.

CAF's Clarification

Following the reports of the rejection, CAF issued a clarification, insisting that discussions on the tournament's future format are still ongoing ². This statement suggests that while the specific proposal for a 28-team expansion was rejected, the broader conversation about the evolution of AFCON's format may continue ².

Future Implications

The decision to maintain the 24-team format means that the next AFCON, scheduled for June-July 2027 and hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, will proceed with the current structure ¹⁰. Bids for the 2028 tournament have been received from Ethiopia, Morocco, and jointly from Botswana and South Africa ¹⁰. The rejection of the expansion plan indicates a preference within the Executive Committee to maintain the current scale of the tournament, at least for now.