Ivory Coast Coach, Emerse Fae Wants CAF To Run AFCON Like Euros, Copa America

The head coach of Ivory Coast, Emerse Fae, who led the country to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), is advocating that the tournament take place once in four years.

Emerse Fae made history when he took over an Ivorian side that won just a game in the group stage to the final of the 2023 AFCON where they beat Nigeria 2-1 on February 11, 2024.

Less than a year after the tournament, Fae is already preparing the national team for another edition of the competition which has been scheduled to take place between December 2025 and January 2026 in Morocco.

The qualifiers for the tournament will kick off in September this year, while African teams are also vying for tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In an interview with the BBC, Emerse Fae argued that holding AFCON once in two years is a strain on the players who are already over-stretched with club commitments.

The French-born Ivorian tactician believes that it will be easier on the players if the Confederation of Africa Football decides to hold the AFCON once in four years just like the World Cup, the European Championship, and the Copa America.

“It will be good to be as in Europe and South America and play every four years,” coach Emerse Fae said.

“I think it will be easier for the players because they will have fewer games and will maybe be stronger if they play less.”

Note that the Africa Cup of Nations which has been running since 1957 has been held once every two years since the late 1960s. The only period the tournament was held after three years was when the COVID-19 pandemic forced CAF to postpone it from 2021 to 2022.