December 22, (THEWILL) — The Confédération Africaine de Football has announced the creation of the African Nations League and confirmed it will host a world-class senior national team competition annually featuring Africa’s top players from leading global leagues. CAF will partner with FIFA on the new tournament.
During FIFA World Cup years, CAF will not stage a senior national team competition, allowing the nine or 10 African nations qualified for the tournament to concentrate on their World Cup preparations. The restructuring aims to eliminate scheduling conflicts between club and international commitments.
Dr Patrice Motsepe, CAF President, said the changes will establish African senior national team competitions among the world’s finest. “We want to ensure that African Football players do not find themselves (as has often been the case) in the calendar or fixture conflict between their Football Clubs and their National Teams”, he stated.
The reforms will deliver substantial financial improvements for member associations. CAF will contribute $1 million annually to each of its 54 member associations, representing a fivefold increase from the previous $200,000 distributed before the current administration. Additional funding will support youth development programmes, women’s football, zonal competitions and competitive staff salaries.
Dr Motsepe announced that prize money for the CAF Champions League and Confederations Cup will increase following AFCON Morocco 2025. The restructuring followed ongoing discussions with sponsors, partners and stakeholders, with the changes designed to align African football fixtures with the global calendar.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
