The Confederation of African Football has walked back a proposal to expand the Africa Cup of Nations from 24 to 28 teams, after internal resistance from its own executive committee torpedoed the idea before it could gain traction.
A member of the executive committee called the expansion a “very bad idea,” a remarkably blunt assessment given that the plan originated from CAF President Patrice Motsepe himself just months earlier in March 2026.
What happened and why it matters
CAF’s leadership apparently decided that bigger isn’t always better. The organization says its priority is making the tournament “world class,” which, in practice, means improving quality rather than diluting it with four additional teams.
Africa has 54 FIFA-affiliated nations. At 24 teams, nearly half the continent already qualifies. Bumping that to 28 would mean more than half of all African nations would participate, raising legitimate questions about competitive standards.
