The President of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe, has refrained from confirming the dates for the next Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled for 2025.

During a press conference in Abidjan on Friday, where the current AFCON in Ivory Coast is drawing to a close, Motsepe emphasized that the immediate focus remains on the ongoing tournament.

Traditionally held every two years, this edition of the AFCON was delayed by six months due to concerns regarding the rainy season in West Africa.

However, organizing the next edition in Morocco next year poses logistical challenges. Conducting it in January and February allows limited time for hosting qualifying matches, as FIFA-sanctioned dates in June are already allocated for 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The Moroccan Football Federation announced that the tournament would occur in “summer 2025.” However, scheduling it for June and July could clash with FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup in North America.

Delaying the AFCON until 2026 might be unfeasible due to the first 48-team World Cup scheduled for that year, also set to take place in North America.

Motsepe acknowledged the challenges posed by concurrent events but expressed confidence that the tournament would proceed around the planned timeframe.

“There are a lot of competing events at the same time but we are confident that…it is indeed going to be around that time,” Motsepe said when asked if the competition would go ahead in 2025 as planned.

“We have to accommodate other competing competitions (but) the AFCON next year is going to be an immense success and we will make further announcements in due course,” he said