The ManicaPost
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) takes place in Egypt this summer with 24 teams vying to be crowned kings of the continent.
Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian forward who recently fired Liverpool to Uefa Champions League glory, spearheads home hopes, while his clubmate Sadio Mane leads the attack for Senegal.
We take a look at the teams taking part, where the matches will be played and when the final takes place.
Who is hosting the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations?
Egypt were chosen to replace original hosts Cameroon in January after the Confederation of African Football, the continent’s ruling body, deemed that the country’s infrastructure was not up to the required standard to host its flagship tournament.
This will be the fifth time Egypt has hosted the tournament. They are also its record winners with seven titles, there last coming in 2010.
This year’s Afcon takes place from June 21 with the final on July 19.
Who are the Africa Cup of Nations holders?
Cameroon won the tournament in Gabon two years ago, beating Egypt 2-1 in the final to claim the Afcon trophy for a fifth time.
As hosts, Cameroon were not required to take part in qualifying but did so regardless, perhaps sensing that they may be stripped of hosting rights further down the line. A wise decision, as it turned out. They finished second in qualifying Group B level on 11 points with Morocco.
When does Afcon 2019 take place?
The tournament will be held from June 21 to July 19, with six venues to be used. This year’s tournament has been moved to summer so as not to clash with European domestic leagues. Afcon is usually held in the winter.
Who are the teams taking part in Afcon 2019?
Twenty-four teams will play in the 32nd edition of Afcon, a biennial tournament that this year has been expanded from 16 teams to 24.
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast,
Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe
What are the host cities and venues?
Alexandria: Alexandria Stadium
Cairo: Cairo International Stadium, 30 June Stadium, Al Salam Stadium
Ismailia: Ismailia Stadium
Suez: Suez Stadium
The groups
Afcon 2019 is made up of four teams in six groups:
Group A
Egypt
DR Congo
Uganda
Zimbabwe
Fixtures (all kick-off times are UAE)
June 22
Egypt v Zimbabwe, midnight (June 23)
DR Congo v Uganda, 6.30pm
June 26
Egypt v DR Congo, midnight (June 27)
Uganda v Zimbabwe, 9pm
June 30
Uganda v Egypt, 11pm
Zimbabwe v DR Congo, 11pm
Group B
Nigeria
Guinea
Madagascar
Burundi
Fixtures
June 22
Nigeria v Burundi, 9pm
Guinea v Madagascar, midnight (June 23)
June 26
Nigeria v Guinea, 6.30pm
June 27
Madagascar v Burundi, 6.30pm
June 30
Madagascar v Nigeria, 8pm
Burundi v Guinea, 8pm
Group C
Senegal
Algeria
Kenya
Tanzania
Fixtures
June 23
Senegal v Tanzania, 9pm
Algeria v Kenya, midnight (June 24)
June 27
Senegal v Algeria, 9pm
Kenya v Tanzania, midnight (June 28)
July 1
Kenya v Senegal, 11pm
Tanzania v Algeria, 11pm
Group D
Morocco
Ivory Coast
South Africa
Namibia
Fixtures
June 23
Morocco v Namibia, 6.30pm
June 24
Ivory Coast v South Africa, 6.30pm
June 28
Morocco v Ivory Coast, 9pm
South Africa v Namibia, midnight (June 29)
July 1
South Africa v Morocco, 8pm
Namibia v Ivory Coast, 8pm
Group E
Tunisia
Mali
Mauritania
Angola
Fixtures
June 24
Tunisia v Angola, 9pm
Mali v Mauritania, midnight (June 25)
June 28
Tunisia v Mali, 6.30pm
June 29
Mauritania v Angola, 6.30pm
July 2
Mauritania v Tunisia, 11pm
Angola v Mali, 11pm
Group F
Cameroon
Ghana
Benin
Guinea-Bissau
Fixtures
June 25
Cameroon v Guinea-Bissau, 9pm
Ghana v Benin, midnight (June 26)
June 29
Cameroon v Ghana, 9pm
Benin v Guinea-Bissau, midnight (June 30)
July 2
Benin v Cameroon, 8pm
Guinea-Bissau v Ghana, 8pm
The format
The teams in each group will play in a single round-robin format, and after the group stage, the top two teams and the four best third-placed teams will advance to the last 16.
The winners will advance to the quarter-finals stage, and from then on, progress to the semi-finals.
The semi-final losers will contest a third-place match, while semi-final winners will advance to the final.
