Article by Maria Olteanu – Published on Sunday, 29 March 2026, 22:52 / Updated on Sunday, 29 March 2026 22:58
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced an increase in the number of teams in the final phase of the Africa Cup of Nations, with the new format to be applied from 2028.
The decision was taken during the CAF Executive Committee meeting held on Sunday, March 29, in Cairo. The president of the confederation, Patrice Motsepe, confirmed that the number of participating countries will increase from 24 to 28.
This expansion represents the second significant change in the structure of the tournament in recent years, with the previous increase from 16 to 24 teams took place in 2019.
More teams at the Africa Cup of Nations
According to him Patrice Motsepethis measure aims to modernize African football and align it with international standards. “The reconfiguration will create more opportunities for countries across the continent,” he said, while stressing the importance of top African players returning to play for their national teams, as quoted by sportal.gr.
It is worth noting that the upcoming 2027 edition, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will be played in the current 24-team format, being the last before the new system is implemented.
Scandal at the last edition of the Africa Cup of Nations
The final of the Africa Cup of Nations turned into an unprecedented case. Senegal won at home 1-0, the decisive goal being scored by Pape Gueye.
In extra time, the Senegalese players left the field in protest and CAF overturned the Senegalese victory and decided to award the victory 3-0 to Morocco.
Now, a final decision in this case is to be made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
