Following Patrice Motsepe's historic announcement on December 20, 2025, the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) will adopt a four-year cycle starting in 2028. Former Ivory Coast international Babou Éric welcomes a strategic decision which, according to him, will professionalize the game and protect the players.

The announcement sent shockwaves through the continental sporting landscape: the Africa Cup of Nations is abandoning its biennial schedule. For Babou Éric, a former Ivory Coast international, this shift to a four-year cycle is not a step backward, but an essential lever for growth, bringing Africa up to the standards of world football.

The end of tactical "tinkering"

One of the former player's main arguments concerns the technical quality of the tournament. According to him, the current two-year cycle imposes a sense of urgency that hinders team cohesion.

"Today, we see too many teams arriving without any established patterns of play, due to a lack of time. Over four years, national coaches will finally have the opportunity to build solid game plans and real tactical stability," he explains.

For him, scarcity will create value: by becoming more difficult to achieve, the AFCON will gain in prestige and intensity.

Protecting the health and careers of the players

Babou Éric also highlights a crucial issue: the management of international players playing in Europe. The current schedule creates constant tension between federations and their employing clubs.

1. Physical exhaustion: With the increasing number of club matches, players are pushed to their limits.
2. Contractual serenity: A four-year cycle would help to improve relations with European clubs, who often frown upon the departure of their key players mid-season every two years.

Infrastructure and local championships: time for reconstruction

Beyond the pitch itself, the entire logistical organization could benefit from this reform. Babou Éric points to the chronic delays in stadium delivery: "This will allow host countries to better prepare and stop delivering unfinished infrastructure."

Finally, the former international hopes that this change of pace will benefit local football. By freeing up media and financial space, federations could finally focus on:

1. The professionalization of national championships .
2. The development of women's football .
3. The emergence of local talent , less overshadowed by the constant news of the A selection.

Although he admits a slight personal preference for a three-year cycle, Babou Éric concludes optimistically: this reform is the key to giving new credibility to African football on the international stage.