Buy our exclusive European football stadium poster

The Next African Cup of Nations

The Next African Cup of Nations

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is the most celebrated competitions across the continent. The game brings together various professional African players playing for different competitive leagues across the globe. The 33rd edition was scheduled to occur in Cameroon in 2021 but got postponed to the year 2022.

The primary reason why it got postponed is because of the Covid-19 crisis that has been a menace globally. It is expected to take place from January to February 2022. After a meeting in 2014 between officials, they announced that they had selected three candidates that would host the upcoming tournament, namely; Algeria, Guinea, and Ivory Coast. Fans will have a chance to wager with Betway sports betting from the first match to the finals.

However, the decision to name the host was pushed forward and would get announced later. After casting a vote, CAF finally announced hosting AFCON in 2019, 2021, and 2023: Cameroon in 2019, Ivory Coast in 2021, and Guinea in 2023.

Change of Host

However, CAF stripped Cameroon the right to host the 2019 AFCON matches in 2018, and they went ahead to reach an agreement that Cameroon will now be hosting the 2021 AFCON, which was postponed to 2022. Ivory Coast was initially going to host the 2021 AFCON, but changes say it will be hosting the 2023 AFCON.

Teams Participating

A total of 24 African countries are scheduled to participate in the 33rd edition of the tournament. Cameroon, as the hosts, will be the leading participant. On the other hand, countries like Somalia and Eritrea decided not to take part in the qualifiers. Qualifiers continue and you can follow and bet on matches with Betway as the next international break is set for the coming week.

Seeding

Teams got seeded depending on their ranking on FIFA as of June 2019. Forty-four teams in pot 1 to 4 had a direct ticket to the group stage while the remaining had to battle it on the field to advance to the group stages.

Teams to keep an eye on

Africa has been producing talented players playing across Europe. Among the most decorated player. Most international players are doing well at the club level and are expected to perform spectacularly well while on the international stage.

Algeria, Senegal, Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Morocco, and Tunisia will once again be the teams to watch. Hosts Cameroon is expected to have the upper hand due to their home advantage, and they’ll want to put the disappointments of the last edition behind. On the other hand, all the above teams have the best African players and will mount a challenge.

Players to Watch

Over the years, African countries have been producing one of the best players on the globe. Some of the biggest names to have come from Africa include Samuel Etoo, Didier Drogba, Solomon Kalou, Michael Essien, and many others.

However, all have retired from football but will always get celebrated as legends. New talents have been massive lately, like Riyad Mahrez, Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane, Edouardo Mendy, Kelechi Iheanacho, Victor Moses, and many more. Salah is considered the Messi of Egypt and the best player to ever come out of Africa and is a fan-favorite to win the battle.

Fans were eagerly waiting for the completion, but the Covid-19 pandemic wave saw most sports activities withheld, and some postponed. African countries are also battling the pandemic, and hence some competitions had to be delayed. AFCON is one of the most incredible competitions since it attracts millions of fans across the globe. For the best betting experience, download the Betway mobile app and make it easier to bet on different markets.




More articles from Football Ground Map...

The World's Barmiest Football Fan?

The World's Barmiest Football Fan?

Tony Incenzo has been to over 2,000 football grounds - is he the world's barmiest football fan? Read about his love for Non-League football and groundhopping obsession, including watching a match in prison!

The biggest football attendances ever recorded

The biggest football attendances ever recorded

An in-depth look at the biggest football attendances ever recorded, from the 1950 World Cup to pre-season friendlies in the States and the Scottish ground with dozens of 100,000+ attendances


Surviving football boredom - a football fans' guide

Surviving football boredom - a football fans' guide

23 interesting things to do to pass the time until the football season restarts

My Son's First Football Match

My Son's First Football Match

Taking my son to his first football match was one of the best experiences I've had as a father so far. I've written this article for Alex to read when he gets older.



Get the double-sided 92 Club & National League map poster