The change will take effect from 2019 when Cameroon hosts it.

The 55 members of the committee met in Rabat, Morocco earlier this week to discuss the growth of African football and the possibility of expanding the tournament as well as changing the timing and scheduling of the showpiece competition.

The CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad hinted on Wednesday that some of the discussion at the symposium could be implemented within days and this is the first of many major changes expected to take place in the continent’s football.

This development would mean that the qualifying rounds for that tournament will be adjusted to accommodate all 24 teams, with the main tournament structure also taking a different shape.

The decision to increase the slots which had received mixed reactions from the football fraternity is said to be aimed at crafting new and innovative ways of making the competition more attractive.

Meanwhile, Cameroon risks losing out in hosting the tournament as it is still behind in its preparations.

Some have suggested that the tournament will be moved to Morrocco if the West African nation is unable to meet the deadline to complete its preparations.

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By: Daniel Koranteng/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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This was recommended by CAF’s Marketing and TV team on Wednesday at the two-day African Football Symposium in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.

The team said it had agreed on the increasing of the AFCON teams “from 16 to 24 and to have from 20 to 21 African teams in addition to 3 or 4 invitees from other continents”.

Amongst proposal also includes taking the 2023 edition to countries who already have the infrastructure and have money to stage a grand competition.

Countries that we were put on the table included U.S.A or Qatar who will be hosting the 2022 edition of the World Cup thus will have the facilities available.

CAF Marketing team are looking to create new and innovative ways to make Africa’s flagship competition more attractive but these recommendations will first have to be passed by the executive committee.

There has been a long standing debate about the timing of the Africa Cup of Nations with European clubs complaining about key players leaving in the middle of the season.

There are 55 CAF executive committee members in Rabat Morocco for the historic Symposium.

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By: Rahman Osman/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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There are five matches on Friday, two on Saturday and one Sunday with seven previous champions in action.

Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa continue the defence of their title on Sunday as they host Ethiopia’s Saint George.

Sundowns’ coach Pitso Mosimane says fixture fatigue could threaten their hopes.

Last year they became just the second South African winners of Africa’s top club competition, beating Zamalek of Egypt 3-1 on aggregate in the final.

Mosimane, who played for and coached South Africa, says a fixture pile-up could affect his team.

“The Saint George players are sitting in the stand, resting and watching us,” he said after a midweek domestic match in Pretoria.

“It is not easy fighting on the South African and African fronts. We are playing every three days or so and injuries and suspensions can wreck plans.

The 52-year-old also accepts his side Sundowns have lost the element of surprise they enjoyed last year.

“That advantage has gone. Rivals clubs know who we are now and watch us on TV,” he conceded.

“But we are more experienced than last year, have greater quality and depth in our squad, and know what Champions League football is all about.”

Saint George, the first club from Ethiopia to make the group phase, won all four of their qualifiers and five-goal Saladin Said is the leading Champions League scorer this season.

Elsewhere Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel, who are the only club to have won all five present and past continental club competitions, should be too strong for Ferroviario Beira.

The Mozambican club was formed 93 years ago but are competing in the Champions League for the first time.

Eight-time winners Al Ahly of Egypt will be wary of Zanaco having come unstuck against another Zambian club, Zesco United, in the group stage last year, dropping five points.

Another Egyptian side Zamalek, who are five-time winners, host CAPS United of Zimbabwe, whose elimination of former winners TP Mazembe of DR Congo was the shock of the qualifying phase.

The Cairo club are notorious for firing coaches and the latest man at the helm, Portuguese Augusto Inacio, says he will not tolerate interference.

“I will not accept anyone taking decisions for me,” he stressed.

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South Sudan thrashed Djibouti 6-0 in Juba on Tuesday to overturn a first leg deficit and win 6-2 overall.

Comoros go through after a 1-1 draw with Mauritius gave them a 3-1 aggregate win.

South Sudan progress to play in Group C with Mali, Gabon and Burundi.

They were in front after just 12 minutes and had scored four times before the break, thanks to two goals from James Joseph, and one each from Robert Duku and Dominic Abui.

Ater Thomas and Khemis Leon scored in the second half to round things off.

Comoros now advance to Group B to play along side Morocco, Malawi and reigning champions Cameroon.

The Indomitable Lions will qualify automatically as hosts no matter where they finish in the final standings.

Greece-based Ben El Fardou extended Comoros’ overall lead in the 13th minute with a header from the edge of the area.

It was to be his last contribution following a clash of heads with Walter Saint Martin as he scored his goal meant he had to be substituted.

Mauritius were lucky not to go further behind as the woodwork and goalkeeper Kevin Jean Louis came to their rescue.

The hosts equalised in injury time at the end of the first half as Comoros failed to defend a corner and the ball fell Ipswich Town’s Kevin Bru whose shot was deflected into the net by Saint Martin.

Mauritius once again ended the game with 10 men after Andy Patate was shown a straight red card in the 80th minute, they had also ended the first leg a man down after Emmanuel Vincent was sent off.

The group stage of the 2019 Nations Cup qualifying begins on the first weekend in June with the 12 group winners automatically earning a place in the finals.

The three best runners-up will also advance to the tournament in Cameroon.

Draw in full:

A: Senegal, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, Madagascar

B: Cameroon, Morocco, Malawi, Comoros

C: Mali, Gabon, Burundi, South Sudan

D: Algeria, Togo, Benin, The Gambia

E: Nigeria, South Africa, Libya, Seychelles

F: Ghana, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya

G: DR Congo, Congo, Zimbabwe, Liberia

H: Ivory Coast, Guinea, Central African Republic, Rwanda

I: Burkina Faso, Angola, Botswana, Mauritania

J: Tunisia, Egypt, Niger, Swaziland

K: Zambia, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia

L: Cape Verde, Uganda, Tanzania, Lesotho

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Source: BBC

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Ghana will play the Cranes at the Tamale Sports Stadium in the opening group fixture of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers on Friday at 15:00 GMT.

The three players, who hail from northern Ghana, insist that they want to give the kids in the region a lifetime opportunity of watching a Black Stars game for the first time.

According to reports in Tamale, Ayew will arrive on Friday and has promised to purchase five thousand tickets while Wakaso and Baba Rahman will combine to buy another five thousand tickets.

The trio hail from the Northern part of the country and their actions will be seen as a huge act of generosity.

On Thursday, fans of the Black Stars in Tamale were complaining about  the high prices of tickets and this will come as a huge relief to them.

In recent times, national support for the Black Stars has dwindled drastically following a poor campaign at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which saw the players play poorly, after they had fought for bonuses, forcing the government to airlift three million dollars to Brazil.

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By: Rahman Osman/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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