Which players will benefit after AFCON plan is reversed

With the Africa Cup of Nations set to continue being hosted in its bi-annual format, SPORTbible has looked at which players will benefit most in their pursuit of an AFCON trophy.

The Africa Cup of Nations has reneged on its previous commitment to host the international tournament every four years, beginning in 2028.

AFCON will continue being played in its current bi-annual format, but which players stand to benefit the most from additional shots at achieving Africa Cup of Nations glory?

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Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

In light of CAF’s decision, Mohamed Salah has seen his odds boosted of featuring at an AFCON tournament in the 2030s.

The Egyptian King stands to benefit more from additional tournaments than anyone; AFCON victory is the sole barrier between him and undisputed status as Africa’s greatest ever.

Previously, Salah’s final Africa Cup of Nations campaign was likely going to arrive in 2028, giving him two opportunities to lift the trophy at back-to-back editions then and in 2027.

Instead, the Egyptian, who has been confirmed ahead of time to feature in and captain Egypt at the 2030 World Cup, will surely seek a third and final attempt at AFCON glory in 2031.

Salah stands to benefit massively from this decision, having failed to help Egypt - the most prolific champions in Africa Cup of Nations history - lift an international trophy.

Mohamed Salah and Egypt were incredible to watch at the 2026 World Cup. (Image Credit - Getty)

The Egyptian debuted for his national side at an all-time low in its history - when the Port Said riot in 2012 caused the deaths of 74 people and injuries to 500 others.

As a result, footballing development was stalled in Egypt for two years after the government shut down its domestic league, affecting Salah’s side greatly.

Still, the Egyptian was able to help drag his nation to two AFCON finals in 2017 and 2021, losing to Cameroon and Senegal respectively.

In 2025, he delivered his best-ever individual Africa Cup of Nations campaign, notching five goal involvements en-route to the semi-finals, before falling once more to Senegal.

In 2026, the greatest-ever champions in AFCON history took eventual World Cup finalists Argentina to the wire in a 3-2 defeat, and sent alarm bells ringing across Africa.

In 2027, it is anticipated that Salah’s strongest shot at completing his already-stacked footballing CV will arrive at AFCON, with the likes of Haissem Hassan and Eman Ashour, who shone at the World Cup, providing strong support.

However, the possibility of playing two more tournaments in 2028 and 2031, culminating in international retirement at 40 for Salah, will surely decrease the pressure in 2027.

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Ademola Lookman (Nigeria)

Ademola Lookman enjoyed a stellar 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign individually, registering seven goal involvements in six games for Nigeria, but fell to eventual champions Morocco in the semi-finals.

Aged 29, his last-ever AFCON shot was likely to arrive in 2032, just three tournaments from now. Instead, he’ll receive an earlier opportunity in 2031, supported by an even younger Victor Osimhen, and an additional chance in 2033.

Lookman and Osimhen were lethal at AFCON '25. (Image Credit - Getty)

Nigeria finished as third-place play-off winners in 2026, beating out Salah’s Egypt, and were finalists in 2024, losing 2-1 to Ivory Coast through an 81st-minute Sebastien Haller winner.

Lookman’s side are one of the ‘Big 4’ nations to appear at each AFCON tournament, alongside Senegal and Morocco, who faced off in the 2025 final, and Egypt.

Unlike the former pair - both nations have lifted the Africa Cup of Nations trophy in the 2020s - Lookman has been unable to get over the line with Nigeria.

While an AFCON win wouldn’t send Lookman into the same conversation as, for example, Salah, it would do wonders for his legacy in Africa.

Prevailing with his nation would prevent the Atletico Madrid man from fading, eventually, into relative obscurity, and cement him as a hero in Nigeria forever.

Time was running out, and it still is - but much less quickly for Lookman in light of CAF’s decision.

Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)

Sure, Achraf Hakimi has technically won an AFCON with Morocco, but has he really? Did anyone watch him do it?

As captain, and playing for one of the world’s best sides in Paris Saint-Germain, the expectation for Hakimi to lift the Africa Cup of Nations trophy is staggering, particularly after Morocco proved themselves more than capable on two successive World Cup stages in 2022 and 2026.

Not winning it after the fact, not appealing to strip Senegal of their title, but to actually lift it, in view of supporters, for photographers to capture, for the nation of Morocco to experience live.

Prior to CAF’s decision, Hakimi was likely to play his last AFCON tournament in, at a push, 2036. Instead, like Lookman, he’ll have an earlier shot in 2031, and in 2033.

If he does make it to 2035, that will give Morocco’s captain five more chances to lift the Africa Cup of Nations trophy.

Even though he technically already has one - and his odds of winning with Morocco by 2035 are very high - Hakimi has much more to lose than Salah and Lookman.

Achraf Hakimi is expected to win the Africa Cup of Nations. (Image Credit - Getty)

The expectations for Morocco aren’t to win merely one AFCON, and certainly not in the manner they did in 2025, but to win multiple.

Hakimi’s nation have just two Africa Cup of Nations titles in their history, one of which being the 2025 edition, and their exploits on the World Cup stage have invited immense pressure.

This is the country’s golden era, and if Hakimi doesn’t win another, a proper title, he will forever go down in history as the captain who managed, somehow, to sink a smooth, steady-sailing Morocco ship at AFCON.

Luckily for him, because of CAF’s decision, he’ll have five chances, at a stretch. Four guaranteed shots, one more than he had before, should be enough for Hakimi to lead Morocco to glory.

If he does, he’ll likely go down as his nation’s greatest-ever player, and one of the best ever produced by Africa. If he doesn’t, that’s a legacy stain carried by very few African footballers, and Hakimi knows it.

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