Africa Cup of Nations 2021: All you need to know
The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations is waiting for its final tournament after completing the qualifying stage. Read on to grab more information about the current campaign.
What is the Africa Cup of Nations?
There are different names for the Africa Cup of Nations, as CAF Africa Cup of Nations, CAN, AFCON, or Total Africa Cup of Nations due to sponsorship reasons. This biennial football competition was first introduced in 1957 as a playground for men’s national football teams across Africa.
Some things about the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
Now, let’s grab some information about the current season of the Africa Cup of Nations:
When is it held?
The final of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations will be held from 9 January to 6 February 2022, despite its name “2021”. It is the 33rd edition of this competition.
Where does it take place?
The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations will take place in Cameroon, although it was first scheduled to be hosted in Ivory Coast. However, in late 2018, this country was removed from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as the host of the 2019 season, and Egypt took place instead.
Cameroon then became the host country of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, while the initial host of this edition, Ivory Coast, will host the next season, the 2023 AFCON.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa created several adjustments on the schedule of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. The final tournament was planned to be held between June and July 2021, but it was first rescheduled to 9 January to 6 February, a couple of months sooner than the plan due to the unfavorable climate changes.
The second change on the fixture of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations was due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in this continent. It was moved one year later with the same dates and months. This means that the 2021 edition of AFCON will be held from 9 January to 6 February 2022. However, the name of the competition is retained for sponsorship reasons.
How many teams qualified for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations?
There are 24 teams that qualify for the final of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, including one host country (Cameroon) and the other qualified teams that are winners or runners-up from the previous qualifying rounds.
