- The Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to return next weekend in Ivory Coast
- Senegal are the holders of the competition after their win against Egypt in 2022
- Erling Haaland has 15 Premier League goals, Mo Salah has 12… Bukayo Saka has just six. Arsenal are crying out for a striker – Listen to It’s All Kicking Off
The Africa Cup of Nations is around the corner, with Ivory Coast hosting the highly-anticipated tournament for only the second time.
Senegal are the current holders of the competition following their win over seven-times winners Egypt.
Sadio Mane scored the winning spot-kick as Senegal claimed a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over Egypt following a 0-0 draw.
Several Premier League stars including Mohamed Salah and Andre Onana are set to feature this year – with the final due to take place next month.
Mail Sport breaks down everything you need to know about the Africa Cup of Nations.
The highly-anticipated Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to return this month
Senegal made history as they won AFCON for the first time with a 4-2 win over Egypt on penalties
When is it?
The Africa Cup of Nations will kick off on Saturday, January 13 – with hosts Ivory Cost facing Guinea-Bissau at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan.
The group stage is scheduled to draw to a close on January 24 – before the knockout stages begin just three days later.
Quarter-finals will be played on February 2 and 3, while the semi-finals will take place on February 7.
The final will be played on Sunday, February 11.
Hosts Ivory Cost will kick off the tournament against Guinea-Bissau on Saturday, January 13
How to watch
Sky Sports will be providing live coverage of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Fans will also be able to stream the action via the official Sky Go app.
CAF’s official YouTube channel will also be showing regular AFCON action this year.
Stadiums
Six stadiums have been selected to host AFCON matches.
Games will be spread across five host cities within the Ivory Coast – Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, Bouake, Korhogo and San Pedro.
The full list stadiums that have been selected to host AFCON matches is as follows:
- Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan
- Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan
- Charles Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro
- Stade de la Paix, Bouake
- Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo
- Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pedro
Six stadiums across five cities have been selected to host games at the Africa Cup of Nations
Groups
24 teams have been split into six groups of four.
Hosts Ivory Coast have been placed in the same group as Nigeria, while reigning champions Senegal will face Cameroon in their group.
Group winners, runners up and the four best-ranked third-placed teams will qualify for the last-16 stage.
The full groups is as follows:
- Group A: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau
- Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde and Mozambique
- Group C: Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea and The Gambia
- Group D: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Angola
- Group E: Tunisia, Mali, South Africa and Namibia
- Group F: Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia and Tanzania
Full schedule
Every game will be played at either 2pm, 5pm or 8pm UK time.
Group Stage
Saturday, January 13
- Ivory Coast vs Guinea-Bissau – 8pm
Sunday, January 14
- Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea – 2pm
- Egypt vs Mozambique – 5pm
- Ghana vs Cape Verde – 8pm
Monday, January 15
- Senegal vs The Gambia – 2pm
- Cameroon vs Guinea – 5pm
- Algeria vs Angola – 8pm
Tuesday, January 16
- Burkina Faso vs Mauritania – 2pm
- Tunisia vs Namibia – 5pm
- Mali vs South Africa – 8pm
Wednesday, January 17
- Morocco vs Tanzania – 5pm
- DR Congo vs Zambia – 8pm
Thursday, January 18
- Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea-Bissau – 2pm
- Ivory Coast vs Nigeria – 5pm
- Egypt vs Ghana – 8pm
Friday, January 19
- Cape Verde vs Mozambique – 2pm
- Senegal vs Cameroon – 5pm
- Guinea vs The Gambia – 8pm
Saturday, January 20
- Algeria vs Burkina Faso – 2pm
- Mauritania vs Angola – 5pm
- Tunisia vs Mali – 8pm
Sunday, January 21
- Morocco vs DR Congo – 2pm
- Zambia vs Tanzania – 5pm
- South Africa vs Namibia – 8pm
Monday, January 22
- Equatorial Guinea vs Ivory Coast – 5pm
- Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria – 5pm
- Cape Verde vs Egypt – 8pm
- Mozambique vs Ghana – 8pm
Tuesday, January 23
- The Gambia vs Cameroon – 5pm
- Guinea vs Senegal – 5pm
- Angola vs Burkina Faso – 8pm
- Mauritania vs Algeria – 8pm
Wednesday, January 24
- Namibia vs Mali – 5pm
- South Africa vs Tunisia – 5pm
- Tanzania vs DR Congo – 8pm
- Zambia vs Morocco – 8pm
Mohamed Salah and Egypt have been placed in the same group as Ghana this year
Manchester United star Andre Onana is expected to play a key role for Cameroon at the tournament
Round of 16
Saturday, January 27
- R16 1: Group D Winner vs 3rd Place Group B/E/F – 5pm
- R16 2: Group A Second Place vs Group C Second Place – 8pm
Sunday, January 28
- R16 2: Group A Winner vs 3rd Place Group C/D/E – 5pm
- R16 3: Group B Second Place vs Group F Second Place – 8pm
Monday, January 29
- R16 4: Group B Winner vs 3rd Place Group A/C/D – 5pm
- R16 5: Group C Winner vs 3rd Place Group A/B/F – 8pm
Tuesday, January 30
- R16 7: Group E Winner vs Group D Second Place – 5pm
- R16 8: Group F Winner vs Group E Second Place – 8pm
Quarter-finals
Friday, February 2
- Quarter-Final 1: Winner of R16 2 vs Winner of R16 1 – 5pm
- Quarter-Final 2: Winner of R16 4 vs Winner of R16 3 – 8pm
Saturday, February 3
- Quarter-Final 3: Winner of R16 7 vs Winner of R16 6 – 5pm
- Quarter-Final 4: Winner of R16 5 vs Winner of R16 8 – 8pm
The final is scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 11 at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium
Semi-finals
Wednesday, February 7
- Semi-final 1: Winner of QF1 vs Winner of QF4 – 5pm
- Semi-Final 2: Winner of QF3 vs Winner of QF2 – 8pm
Saturday, February 10
- Third-place play-off: SF1 loser vs SF2 loser – 8pm
Final
Sunday, February 11
- Final: SF1 winner vs SF1 loser – 8pm
