Skip to content

Africa Cup of Nations moves to summer, expands size

Amr Abdallah Dalsh / Reuters

Good news for supporters of clubs who lose marquee players to the Africa Cup of Nations: the biennial continental conquest will now take part in June and July.

The Confederation of African Football met on Thursday in Rabat, Morocco, and among the notable decisions made was one to move the tournament from January and February to the summer, joining other continental contests as off-season endeavours.

A statement on the confederation's website confirmed as much, adding that the tournament will also expand from 16 to 24 teams.

Thursday's decisions ends a longstanding conflict between African national football teams and European clubs, aligning the two parties divided over the absence of key players for the month-long tournament.

Players the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Mohamed Salah (Egypt), and Ivorian defenders Serge Aurier and Eric Bailly all missed club matches during last summer's tournament in Gabon.

Defending champion Cameroon is set to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, with an inspection scheduled for early September.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox