AFCON 2021 (2022) kicks off on Sunday
The
Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) 2021 kicks off this weekend, as hosts Cameroon take on Burkina Faso in Olembé. The tournament will see a plethora of
Premier League superstars represent their countries.
The AFCON 2022 teams include the likes of Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Sadio Mané, Edouard Mendy and Cheikhou Kouyate (Senegal); Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Wilfried Zaha, Nicolas Pepe and Eric Bailly (Ivory Coast), Kelechi Iheanacho (Nigeria), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon) and many more.
https://twitter.com/CAF_Online/status/1478019083962568712?s=20
The tournament has been the subject of much controversy in recent weeks, with Watford the focus of a storm over blocking the release of
Nigerian attacker Emmanuel Dennis, and
Senegalese winger Ismaila Sarr.
Elsewhere, former West Ham forward
Sebastien Haller was not impressed when asked by a journalist whether he would be prepared to stay with his club, Ajax, rather than travel to play for the Ivory Coast.
Arsenal legend
Ian Wright also posted a video, criticising the coverage of the Africa Cup of Nations, saying it is 'tinged with racism,' and that European players would not be asked these questions about playing in the Euros.
Even prior to these incidents, there was
concern that this year's African Cup of Nations would even go ahead amidst ongoing Covid concerns but, just like with
Euro 2020, it looks like we'll be getting the tournament we've been waiting for after all.
Where can I watch AFCON?
Sky Sports will be broadcasting all 52 games in the tournament in the UK, with ten games set to air on BBC, including two of the quarter-finals, both semi-finals and the final.
As always,
Live Football on TV is the best place to check where games are on but to save you checking every time, Sky Sports Football is where you need to go. With the tournament taking place at the same time as the club season continues in Europe, Sky's main event channel will be prioritising its Premier League coverage.
What is the tournament's schedule?
- January 9 - AFCON Group stage starts
- January 20 - Group stage ends
- January 23 to 26 - Last 16
- January 29 and 30 - Quarter-final
- February 2 and 3 - Semi-final
- February 6 - AFCON Final and third-place play-off
Who AFCON won last time?
The last tournament hosted by Egypt back in 2019 was won by Algeria, with Baghdad Bounedjah scoring the only goal of the game against Senegal in the second minute. Manchester City's own Riyad Mahrez also won goal of the tournament that year for this beauty that sent them into the final:
https://twitter.com/goal/status/1214634079594975237?s=20
The hosts of this year's tournament Cameroon won the trophy back in 2017 in Gabon, thanks to a late winner from Vincent Aboubakar, then of Porto, now plying his trade at Saudi club Al-Nassr.
Egypt boasts the highest number of AFCON wins, with seven trophies to their name, most recently winning it in 2010. Having the best player in the world should give them the confidence to regain the trophy this time around.
What are the groups?
Group A
Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Ethiopia.
Group B
Guinea, Malawi, Senegal,
Zimbabwe.
Group C
Comoros, Gabon, Ghana, Morocco.
Group D
Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Sudan
Group E
Algeria, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone
Group F
Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Tunisia
Kick off times
The first game of the tournament will kick off at 4pm UK time, with other group games then following a 1pm, 4pm, 7pm pattern.
The final will take place at the same ground as the curtain raiser, the Stade Omnisport Paul Biya in Olembé, which was named after Cameroon's former president.
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