The Confederation of African Football has announced that a new competition will begin next year, called the African Championship of Nations.
The Confederation of African football, during its Executive Committee meeting in Johannesburg-South Africa, last Tuesday 11 September, announced the creation of a new competition only for players participating in their country local league. Stars playing in Europe and even those who have moved to other African leagues will not be allowed to take part. The competition will take place in two phases. A qualifying series with teams divided in six groups and a final round comprising eight teams. The host country of the tournament will be chosen from among the qualified teams. This Championship will be staged once every two years, alternating with the African Cup of Nations. The qualifying phase will take place every even year and the final every odd year.
‘We strive to give to
the local African players the possibility to showcase their talents and abilities, but also to bring to a higher level the national championships in Africa, and to boost their importance", said CAF President, Issa
Beyond the club competitions, the MTN Champions’ League and the Confederation’s Cup, CAF also regularly organises numerous other competitions for all age categories, as well as for the Olympic Games, for Women’s Football, for Futsal, and, more recently, also for Beach Soccer.
The African Cup of Nations, the 26th edition of which will be staged at the beginning of next year, 2008, in Ghana, has become an outstanding international sport event and a prestigious tournament. The African Cup of nations owes this standing to the dedicated effort and the concrete reforms undertaken by CAF, but also to the progress made by national associations and their active and regular participation in our tournaments.
