The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced on Wednesday that the next Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals will be delayed to early 2026.
Initially scheduled for June 2025 in Morocco, the tournament conflicted with the 32-team Club World Cup set for June 15-July 13, 2025, in the U.S.
Africa will send four teams to the Club World Cup, and many players are likely to participate in both tournaments.
CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba confirmed the rescheduling to the BBC, addressing the clash after repeated inquiries.
This change disrupts Morocco's plans to leverage the summer tournament to boost tourism and demonstrate its capacity to host major events ahead of the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Portugal and Spain.
"We can play after the Club World Cup, but is this good for the players who have played all season and then travel to America to play and immediately come to AFCON?" Mosengo-Omba sai.
CAF also faces criticism for not setting dates for this year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.