CAF insists no plans to expand AFCON

President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Issa Hayatou, has made it clear that there are no plans to increase the number of teams for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to 24.


There have been calls for CAF to add eight more slots to the current 16, just like what UEFA has done with the European Championship.

But Hayatou, who has been in power since 1988, says infrastructure will be a hinderance.

“If there was no handicap originating from infrastructure we would have gone to 24 teams. There is no reason why it’s not done, but we are realistic,” Hayatou said.

“Lots of countries can’t accommodate a CAN with more than 16 teams. Europe does it because it has lots of stadiums. In Africa, when I was elected in 1988, it was eight, then 12 in 1992 and 16 in 1996.

“We may not always agree with the Cameroonians but on this one, it is clear that the leader is not wrong.”

Next year’s AFCON will be hosted by Gabon.