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.

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Canadian rapper Drake has reportedly lost ₦296 million after betting on Jake Paul to defeat former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in their much-talked-about boxing fight in Miami.

It was reports that the fight took place in the early hours of Saturday, December 21, in the United States, where Anthony Joshua showed clear control from start to finish.

The experienced boxer overpowered Jake Paul and ended the fight with a knockout in the sixth round.

Joshua’s skill and ring awareness made the difference as he sent Paul to the canvas twice in the fifth round.

He followed up with heavy punches in the next round, forcing the referee to stop the contest after Paul failed to recover.

Before the fight, Drake had publicly revealed that he placed a $200,000 bet on Jake Paul through his Instagram page, showing confidence in the YouTuber-turned-boxer ahead of the clash.

He wrote: “Jakeyyyyy boy, lock tf in”

If Paul had won the fight, the rapper was expected to walk away with over $1.6 million, which is more than ₦2 billion.

With Joshua’s victory, Drake’s wager ended in another loss, adding to his long list of unsuccessful sports bets.

Earlier this year, the rapper also reportedly lost ₦451 million after staking money on Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner at the US Open.

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Former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis believes Jake Paul was not physically ready for the demands of a heavyweight contest against Anthony Joshua, after the Briton secured a sixth round stoppage.

It was reports that Paul, who had never previously been knocked down in his professional career, failed to beat the count as Joshua’s pressure finally told.

Speaking on Netflix, Lewis said: “Paul wasn’t in good shape, especially for a big heavyweight like that,” Lewis said. “After a couple rounds it showed, he was basically sitting there waiting to get hit.”

Lewis, a three time world champion, also suggested Joshua’s lengthy spell out of the ring played a role in the fight taking time to come alive. The contest marked Joshua’s first appearance since his defeat to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.

“When Anthony said he’d been out for 15 months, it showed,” Lewis added. “He needed a couple of rounds to warm up and get used to the ring again before he threw those punches. He did what he had to do. He had a guy in front of him running around the ring and he had to catch up with him.”

Former super middleweight champion Andre Ward took a more measured view of Paul’s performance, particularly in the early stages.

“When Paul got tired he panicked,” Ward said. “That’s a sign of fatigue. He helped Joshua out a little bit because he was having decent success early on. You have to give Joshua that little bit of grace too, Jake Paul was good enough to make things interesting for a little while.”

On the other hand, British retired boxer, Chris Eubank Jr was among those who offered praise for the American’s resolve. “Regardless of the outcome Jake Paul got into the ring with an Olympic gold medallist and former heavyweight world champion and tried his best until the very end,” Eubank wrote on 𝕏. “You have to give him his respect now. He’s done what most would never do and he didn’t give up.”

Former world heavyweight champion David Haye also felt Paul had earned credit, while pointing to Joshua’s early frustration. “Joshua is trying a little too hard. It’s not about winning, it’s about how he wins,” Haye said during the opening rounds. He later added: “Jake Paul was competitive in there. It was frustrating for Anthony Joshua in the early rounds.”

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