CAF’s General Secretary Abdel-Moneim Bah has reiterated that the Afcon tournament will return to the June/July calendar after the 2021 edition.

The competition dates were changed ahead of the Nations Cup which was held in Egypt in 2019 to put it in line with European schedule.

But the continental body reverted to the January/February period after hosts Cameroon made the request based on the adverse climatic conditions experienced in the West African country during mid-year.

“The vision of CAF is clear, which is that the Nations Championship should be held in the summer,” Bah said on Egyptian TV On Time Sports.

“The local authorities in Cameroon requested that the tournament be held in January and February due to climatic conditions at the time of June and July.

“We were between playing in difficult climatic conditions, facing the possibility of postponing many matches or playing in January and February, and facing the permanent problem related to the availability of players.”

The Afcon 2021 edition is scheduled to take place from January 9 to February 6, 2021.