Africa’s football governing body CAF has moved the hosting of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament from January and February to June and July.
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations will therefore be held in June and July, the Confederation of African Football confirmed in Caf’s executive committee meeting on Thursday in the Moroccan capital Rabat.
The tournament which usually held in January and February, caused disputes with European clubs who had to release players in the middle of the season.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) earlier on Thursday also ratified a proposal to increase teams of the AFCON tournament from 16-24.
Henceforth, the Africa Cup of Nations will be contested by 24 teams when the next tournament takes place in 2019 in Cameroon.
Africa’s flagship sporting event has featured 16 teams since 1996.
The expansion of the tournament could create problems for Cameroon, which will host the next finals, with the Central African nation’s sports minister having to deny reports that preparations were behind schedule this week.
The competition will continue to be held every two years, in Africa and only with African countries. Caf was considering whether to allow countries from other continents to compete or even host the tournament.
The announcements follow a two-day symposium organised by Caf president Ahmad to discuss the state of African football.