President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, has announced that the Africa Cup of Nations will be expanded to 28 teams.
Motsepe made the announcement on Sunday, March 29, following the conclusion of CAF’s executive committee meeting.
The South African football administrator explained that the decision is part of CAF’s broader effort to elevate the standard of football across the continent.
“This is about our commitment to world-class football, bringing together the best African players from across the globe to compete on the continent,” he stated.
He did not, however, provide details on how the new format would accommodate the additional four teams or when the expansion would take effect.
The last four editions of AFCON have featured 24 teams, following an increase from 16 participants introduced in 2019.
Motsepe also confirmed that the 2027 tournament will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda as planned.
He further revealed that another edition will be staged in 2028, after which the competition will gradually transition into a fixed four-year cycle.
