Africa Cup of Nations 2021: fixtures, dates, groups and everything you need to know

Africa Cup of Nations 2021
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Africa Cup of Nations 2021: What countries are in AFCON 2021 and what are the groups?

Group A

Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Cape Verde

Group B

Senegal, Zimbabwe, Guinea, Malawi

Group C

Morocco, Ghana, Comoros, Gabon

Group D

Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan, Guinea Bissau

Group E

Algeria, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast

Group F

Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Gambia

Africa Cup of Nations 2021: When do the knockouts start?

The Africa Cup of Nations 2021 knockout stages begin on Sunday, January 23 with the round of 16, with two games a day until Wednesday, January 26.

The four quarter-final games then take place on Saturday, January 29 and Sunday January 30.

The semi-finals are on Tuesday, February 2 and Wednesday, February 3, before the third-place play-off and final both on Sunday, February 6.

Africa Cup of Nations 2021: Where is the tournament being held?

The Africa Cup of Nations 2021 is being held in Cameroon, in west-central Africa.

Africa Cup of Nations 2021: Why isn't it called AFCON 2022?

The Africa Cup of Nations 2021 was actually supposed to be played in June and July 2020, but the decision was made to postpone it until January and February 2021 before the COVID-19 outbreak. That postponement was due to "unfavourable climatic conditions".

In June 2020, the tournament was pushed back again until January and February 2022 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but the decision was made to keep the name Africa Cup of Nations 2021 for sponsorship purposes.

Africa Cup of Nations 2021: How to watch AFCON 2021 in the UK

The TV rights for the Africa Cup of Nations 2021 in the UK are split between Sky Sports and BBC, with Sky Sports showing every game, and the BBC showing 10 games – including two quarter-finals, both semi-finals and the final.

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Conor Pope
Online Editor

Conor Pope is the former Online Editor of FourFourTwo, overseeing all digital content. He plays football regularly, and has a large, discerning and ever-growing collection of football shirts from around the world.


He supports Blackburn Rovers and holds a season ticket with south London non-league side Dulwich Hamlet. His main football passions include Tugay, the San Siro and only using a winter ball when it snows.