2021 Africa Cup of Nations
The African Cup of Nations, amid speculation of a cancellation due to various COVID-19 outbreaks, is going ahead. The tournament will be pushed back to be played from January to February. The tournament will take place in Cameroon and will be played from the 9th of January, the start of the group stage, to the 6th of February, the AFCON final.
Group Round
| Date | Time | Score | Group | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
Burkina Faso | A | |||
| |
Cape Verde | A | |||
| |
Zimbabwe | B | |||
| |
Malawi | B | |||
| |
Ghana | C | |||
| |
Gabon | C | |||
| |
Sierra Leone | E | |||
| |
Egypt | D | |||
| |
Guinea-Bissau | D | |||
| |
Mali | F | |||
| |
Gambia | F | |||
| |
Côte d'Ivoire | E | |||
| |
Ethiopia | A | |||
| |
Burkina Faso | A | |||
| |
Guinea | B | |||
| |
Zimbabwe | B | |||
| |
Comoros | C | |||
| |
Ghana | C | |||
| |
Sudan | D | |||
| |
Egypt | D | |||
| |
Mali | F | |||
| |
Mauritania | F | |||
| |
Sierra Leone | E | |||
| |
Equatorial Guinea | E | |||
| |
Cameroon | A | |||
| |
Ethiopia | A | |||
| |
Senegal | B | |||
| |
Guinea | B | |||
| |
Morocco | C | |||
| |
Comoros | C | |||
| |
Nigeria | D | |||
| |
Sudan | D | |||
| |
Algeria | E | |||
| |
Equatorial Guinea | E | |||
| |
Tunisia | F | |||
| |
Mauritania | F |
Round of 16
| Date | Time | Score | Extra | Match | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A2 |
C2 |
R1 | ||||
| D1 |
B/E/F3 |
R2 | ||||
| B2 |
F2 |
R4 | ||||
| A1 |
C/D/E3 |
R3 | ||||
| B1 |
A/C/D3 |
R5 | ||||
| C1 |
A/B/F3 |
R6 | ||||
| E1 |
D2 |
R7 | ||||
| F1 |
E2 |
R8 |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Time | Score | Extra | Match | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R4 Winner |
R3 Winner |
Q1 | ||||
| R1 Winner |
R2 Winner |
Q2 | ||||
| R7 Winner |
R6 Winner |
Q3 | ||||
| R5 Winner |
R8 Winner |
Q4 |
Semifinals
| Date | Time | Score | Extra | Match | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q2 Winner |
Q4 Winner |
SF1 | ||||
| Q1 Winner |
Q3 Winner |
SF2 |
Third place
| Date | Time | Score | Extra | Match | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF1 Loser |
SF2 Loser |
3rd |
Final
| Date | Time | Score | Extra | Match | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF1 Winner |
SF2 Winner |
Fin |
Group A
| Team | W | D | L | GF - GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Burkina Faso | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Ethiopia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Cabo Verde | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
Group B
| Team | W | D | L | GF - GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Zimbabwe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Guinea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Malawi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
Group C
| Team | W | D | L | GF - GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Ghana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Comoros | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Gabon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
Group D
| Team | W | D | L | GF - GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Egypt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Sudan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
Group E
| Team | W | D | L | GF - GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Sierra Leone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Eq. Guinea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
Group F
| Team | W | D | L | GF - GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Mali | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Mauritania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
| Gambia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
3rd Places Tiebreak
| Team | W | D | L | GF - GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 |
The tournament follows the same format as the Euros, with a group stage then developing into a knockout stage. The tournament has rapidly grown since it first appeared in 1957. The tournament now requires a qualifying tournament to be able to compete in the African Cup of Nations Finals in Cameroon in 2022. The tournament has expanded from three teams when it first started to now having 24 teams, split into 6 groups in the group stage. Africa’s most prestigious tournament will definitely take place on this occasion after an absence from the tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Current holders Algeria go into the tournament as the favourites, with Mo Salah and Egypt coming in a close second to challenge Algeria. The tournament will bring great quality in a footballing sense and will bring hope and joy to the continent of Africa whilst the competition lasts.
The tournament is the most prestigious piece of silverware in Africa and nothing comes close to it in the continent in footballing terms. The tournament is met with an immense amount of passion and joy, with people from all around the continent coming together to support their nationality. The African people missed a chance to see their countries compete in the African Cup of Nations in the last scheduled tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The anticipation has been building for a number of years and countries and their fans are raring to begin this tournament for a chance to become the Kings of Africa.
Players from all around the world return to their home countries to compete in this tournament, leaving their clubs during the domestic season in order to represent their country. For example, 15 of the 20 clubs in the Premier League will be affected by the African Cup of Nations and will lose one or more players during the tournament. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, people worldwide have questioned the tournament's taking place, but the head of the African Football Federation, in a recent crunch meeting, insisted the tournament will take place and they will not miss another chance for a football tournament in Africa.