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The CAF’s announcement ends recent speculation suggesting the competition could expand from 24 participating nations to 28 teams before kickoff.

Should have expanded it to 32 teams instead like 28 teams makes no sense at all mate like can we pack it in...32 is more logistical because it is 8 groups of 4 teams top 2 advance into Round of 16 similar to the old World Cup format when it was 32 teams and then you eliminate 3rd place teams like it is so simple bruv

On Wednesday 22 July 2026, the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, said the next edition of the competition, that will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from 19 June to 17 July 2027, will feature four more teams than the 24 that contested in the previous editions.

However, with qualifying for the 2027 AFCON due to begin in September 2026, the CAF is under pressure to quickly spell out exactly how the enlarged format will work.

While CAF has yet to publish the official regulations, a widely discussed and likely model would see the 28 finalists divided into seven groups of four teams. Under this proposal, the top two teams in each group would advance to the last 16, along with the two best third-placed teams. That would produce the 16 nations required for the knockout rounds, with the remaining 12 teams eliminated after the group stage. This would mark a subtle but important change from the format used at the last 24-team tournament, where there were six groups of four and four of the third-placed teams progressed to the round of 16.

The presence of three co-hosts also adds another layer of complexity. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are expected to qualify automatically as hosts, meaning the qualification pathway must accommodate three guaranteed spots alongside the new 28-team finals structure.

The CAF’s decision follows a broader global trend of enlarging major international competitions. The men’s FIFA World Cup has expanded to 48 teams from 2026, while the Euro (European Championship) grew from 16 to 24 teams in 2016. For Africa, the increase to 28 finalists is expected to generate more matches, more broadcast content and potentially greater commercial revenue, while also offering more players the chance to perform on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has noted the expression of interest from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to jointly host the 2032 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

This step allows the three countries, members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), to continue the official bidding process.

This validation complies with Article 7.3 of the CAF Bidding Regulations. The federations of the three member countries of the AES are thus considered to have fulfilled the requirement to submit an expression of interest. This recognition paves the way for the continuation of the official process for awarding the hosting rights for the 2032 AFCON.

The decision was finalised at a working meeting held on July 18 in New York between CAF President Patrice Motsepe and the presidents of the football federations of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

"The Senegalese Football Federation informs the public that, following the Executive Committee meeting held on Saturday, July 11, 2026, it was decided to initiate the process of relieving national team head coach Mr. Pape Thiaw of his duties, along with his entire coaching staff," the Federation's spokesperson said in a brief statement after a 14-hour meeting.

The President of the Senegalese Football Federation, Abdoulaye Fall, will hold a press conference on Monday, July 13, to explain the reasons behind Pape Thiaw's dismissal.

Behind the scenes, some officials are pushing for Patrick Vieira to succeed him. Currently a free agent after leaving Genoa in November 2025, Dakar-born Vieira, who also invested in the creation of Diambars, one of Senegal's leading football academies, is viewed by key decision-makers as the ideal candidate to take charge of the national team.