Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman has joined the league of footballers who have criticised the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision to turn the Africa Cup of Nations into a four-year tournament.
The Atalanta forward described the move as ‘a shame’ and a disappointment for players and fans across the continent.
Soccernet.ng reports that CAF president Patrice Motsepe announced on the eve of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations that the tournament will revert to even-numbered years and become a quadrennial event from 2028, ending more than five decades of a two-year cycle that has defined African international football.
The announcement was made in Rabat just hours before the opening match of Morocco 2025, with Motsepe confirming that AFCON would be aligned with a wider calendar restructuring that includes the introduction of an African Nations League.
“Our focus now is on this Afcon, but in 2027, we will be going to Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, and the Afcon after that will be in 2028,”Motsepe reportedly told reporters.
“Then, after the FIFA Club World Cup in 2029, we will have the first African Nations League… with more prize money, more resources, more competition. As part of this arrangement, the AFCON now will take place once every four years.”
Reacting to the decision, Lookman, one of the standout performers of the ongoing AFCON 2025 and Nigeria’s most influential player so far in the tournament, questioned the wisdom of the decision, adding that ‘It is a disappointment’.
Speaking to Peoples Gazette in Fes, the 28-year-old acknowledged that the decision was effectively irreversible, but made clear his dissatisfaction.
“The decision has been made, we can’t really change it. It is a shame as Africans are not able to get the tournament every two years like we are used to. It is a disappointment,” he stressed.
