South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe has confirmed he will step down as president of the Confederation of African Football when his term ends, opening the door to a succession race for one of the most powerful jobs in world soccer.
Motsepe made the commitment at a press conference during CAF’s strategy conference in Cape Verde. He said his priority for the rest of his tenure is to build structures that allow African football to keep growing after he leaves.
His second four-year term runs until 2029. He was first elected on March 12, 2021, after the other four candidates withdrew, and was re-elected unopposed on March 12, 2025.
The Cape Verde remarks repeat a pledge Motsepe made in July, when he told reporters in Sandton, Johannesburg, that “nobody is going to persuade me to spend more than two terms as CAF president.” At the same press conference he ruled out running for the presidency of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, and said he backs its president, Gianni Infantino. “Fifa doesn’t need me,” he said.
A biennial AFCON
At the Cape Verde conference, Motsepe also said CAF is considering keeping the Africa Cup of Nations as a tournament held every two years, with discussions under way to reverse a proposed move to a four-year cycle. He has said one of his goals is for an African country to win the World Cup.
The history behind the mining billionaire in football
Motsepe, 64, made his fortune in mining. He founded African Rainbow Minerals, the Johannesburg-listed company with interests in platinum, iron ore, manganese, coal and gold, and is its executive chairman. He also chairs Ubuntu-Botho Investments, which holds a large stake in insurer Sanlam.
He bought Mamelodi Sundowns in 2003 and turned the Pretoria club into one of the dominant teams in African football. His son Tlhopie Motsepe is now the club’s president.
He was the first Black African to appear on Forbes’ list of the world’s billionaires, in 2008. His brother-in-law is South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is married to Motsepe’s sister, Tshepo.
CAF has 54 member associations and organizes the Africa Cup of Nations and the Champions League. Motsepe’s predecessor, Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar, was banned by FIFA’s ethics committee in 2020 over misuse of funds, and Motsepe came to the job promising to clean up the organization’s finances.
