The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will switch from its long-standing two-year cycle to a four-year format from 2028, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed.
The announcement was made in Morocco by CAF president Patrice Motsepe ahead of the opening match of the 35th edition of the competition, with hosts Morocco set to face Comoros. AFCON, first staged in 1957, is CAF’s flagship event and accounts for an estimated 80 percent of the confederation’s revenue.
Motsepe said the 2027 finals, due to be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will go ahead as planned and will be followed by another edition in 2028. From that point, however, the tournament will be staged every four years.
“Historically the Nations Cup was the prime resource for us but now we will get financial resources every year,” Motsepe said. “It is an exciting new structure which will contribute to sustainable financial independence and ensure more synchronisation with the FIFA calendar.”
The idea of reducing AFCON’s frequency had previously been floated by Gianni Infantino, but CAF had resisted because of its heavy reliance on tournament revenues.
Motsepe confirmed that the latest decision was taken after discussions with Infantino and FIFA’s general secretary, Mattias Grafstrom, acknowledging that compromise was unavoidable.
“We have the most exciting new structure for African football,” Motsepe said. “I do what is in the interests of Africa. The global calendar has to be significantly more synchronised and harmonised.”
AFCON’s scheduling has long been a source of tension, particularly with European clubs, as the tournament has often taken place midway through the domestic season. Although CAF resolved in 2019 to move the competition to a June and July window, circumstances have repeatedly intervened.
The 2022 tournament in Cameroon and the 2024 edition in Côte d’Ivoire were both staged at the start of the year because of weather concerns and disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. More recently, FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup, held in the United States in June and July, forced CAF to adjust its plans again.
As a result, this year’s finals in Morocco have been shifted back by six months and will run over Christmas and the New Year for the first time, with the final scheduled for 18 January.
Alongside the structural changes, Caf has also increased the prize money for AFCON winners from 7 million dollars to 10 million dollars.
The dates for the 2027 finals in East Africa are yet to be confirmed, while the hosts of the 2028 edition have not been announced.
Spanish Club UD Almería have announced that they will donate all ticket sales revenue from their home match against CD Tenerife to support the family of Jesús de Miguel.
The initiative was established by club president Mohammed Al Khereiji as the Spanish club seeks to provide financial assistance to the bereaved family following their loss.
Announcing the decision, the club expressed its sympathy and acknowledged that no amount of financial assistance could make up for the loss of a loved one.
As reported by ESPN on Wednesday, the club was quoted as saying, “We are fully aware that nothing can ever compensate for the loss of a loved one, and that no form of support, whether financial or emotional, can ease the pain caused by a tragedy of this kind.”
Despite recognising the limitations of the gesture, UD Almería hope that donating the entire proceeds from the match will provide some support to Jesús de Miguel’s family during this difficult period.
The initiative comes under the leadership of Al Khereiji, who is the club’s president.
It also puts the spotlight on UD Almería’s ownership, with Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo having acquired a 25 per cent stake in the Spanish club earlier this year.
Borussia Dortmund’s 8-4 victory over Legia Warszawa remains the highest-scoring match in UEFA Champions League history, while Como’s 9-1 demolition of Lens has joined the competition’s list of most prolific encounters.
The Dortmund-Legia encounter produced 12 goals during the 2016/17 group stage, with the German side emerging victorious in a remarkable contest.
According to the UEFA website on Wednesday, the match featured five goals in the opening 32 minutes, including a spell in which three goals were scored within four minutes.
Aleksandar Prijović gave Legia a 10th-minute lead, but Shinji Kagawa scored twice in quick succession to put Dortmund ahead.
Marco Reus also registered a brace, while three goals were scored in the closing 10 minutes to complete the 8-4 result.
Como’s 9-1 victory away to Lens on November 4, 2026, also entered the record books, with the 10-goal encounter ranking among the highest-scoring matches in the competition.
Bayern Munich’s 9-2 victory over GNK Dinamo in September 2024 and Monaco’s 8-3 win against Deportivo La Coruña in November 2003 are other notable entries on the list.
Barcelona’s 8-2 defeat of Bayern Munich in the 2019/20 campaign also features among the highest-scoring Champions League matches.
Bayern thrash Barca 8-2
Full list of highest-scoring Champions League matches
• Borussia Dortmund 8-4 Legia Warszawa — November 22, 2016 (12 goals)
Como have joined Liverpool and Real Madrid in recording the biggest winning margin in UEFA Champions League history after thrashing Lens 9-1 in their Matchday 4 encounter on Tuesday night.
The Italian side’s nine-goal haul secured an eight-goal victory margin, equalling Liverpool’s 8-0 defeat of Beşiktaş in 2007 and Real Madrid’s 8-0 triumph over Malmö in 2015.
According to the UEFA website on Wednesday, Como also became only the second team after Bayern Munich to score nine goals in a Champions League match.
Tasos Douvikas scored a hat-trick in the encounter, while six other Como players also found the net as the competition debutants recorded the biggest away victory in the tournament’s history.
Liverpool were the first team to achieve an eight-goal winning margin when they defeated Beşiktaş 8-0 during the 2007/08 group stage.
Crouch scores two joining Yossi Benayoun who scored hatrick. Ryan Babel also netted a brace and captain Steven Gerrard scored the eight goal
Yossi Benayoun scored three goals, while Ryan Babel and Peter Crouch each contributed two. Steven Gerrard completed the scoring as Liverpool secured the record victory despite having collected just one point from their opening three group matches.
Real Madrid matched the feat on December 8, 2015, when they overwhelmed Malmö 8-0 at home.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals, setting what was then an individual group-stage record of 11 goals, while Karim Benzema registered a hat-trick.
Ronaldo nets four in Malmö thrashing
Bayern Munich also feature prominently in the record books after defeating GNK Dinamo 9-2 on September 17, 2024, establishing a new record for the most goals scored by a team in a single Champions League match.
Harry Kane scored four goals in the encounter, while Michael Olise added two.
