CAF Faces Dilemma Over AFCON 2028, Postponement Possible

In a significant development, an official source within the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has revealed that the administrative body has yet to finalize the official schedule for the qualifiers of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament slated for 2028.

A special source told "El Botola" that the CAF Executive Committee's mandate to devise a framework for the African competitions' agenda, particularly in light of recent changes to the AFCON system (now held every four years instead of two) and the annual organization of the African Nations League, has not yet been implemented. This awaits the outcomes of the Executive Committee meeting scheduled for Friday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

CAF has already set its competition calendar until December of the current year, which includes the dates for the AFCON qualifiers leading up to the 2027 tournament, set to be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

However, the African governing body has struggled to find suitable dates for the 2028 edition's qualifiers and the tournament itself. This difficulty arises from the challenge of organizing it in January, especially after the 2027 AFCON is held in the summer. Furthermore, the summer of 2028 clashes with the UEFA European Championship (EURO) and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Consequently, postponing the tournament to late 2028 or into 2029 could conflict with the FIFA Club World Cup, which is also scheduled for that year.