Much of the recent sporting calendar has been subject to change and the Africa Cup of Nations was no exception. Originally scheduled for 2021, the tournament was subsequently postponed and will now take place from the 9th of January to the 6th of February 2022.
Cameroon is the host nation as 24 of the best teams across the continent will take part. It’s a competition that showcases the best in African football but what can we expect from the latest tournament?
The Current Format
Still branded as AFCON 2021, the current format accommodates those 24 countries. In the opening group stages, each team will play each other once on a round robin basis. When that sequence comes to a conclusion, the top two sides in each section will automatically progress to the knockout stage.
The bottom six sides will be eliminated while the countries that finish in third place will have another chance. The four best performing nations that have finished in third will also progress to the next round.
The 16 remaining teams are now involved in a series of knockout games. These begin with the Round of 16 and progress through the quarter finals, semifinals and the final itself. There is also a third-place playoff which will take place in Yaounde on February 5th, the day before the final.
A month of world class football is in store but who are the teams most likely to challenge for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations title?
The Team to Beat
Host country Egypt were the favourites to win the Africa Cup of Nations when the tournament was last played in 2019. Ultimately, the side were edged out by outsiders Algeria as they failed to even make it through to the semifinals.
Despite that poor performance, virtually every football prediction available lists Egypt among the favourites once again and it’s easy to see why. With Mohamed Salah leading the line, the team can call upon one of the most prolific strikers in world football.
Salah continues to turn games for his club side Liverpool while continuing to impress at international level. In his first 75 matches for Egypt, the striker scored on 43 occasions.
No nation will go into this competition as a ‘one-man team’ but Egypt relies so heavily on Mohamed Salah and he will need to stay fit and firing if they are to have a chance.
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(Some of Mohamed Salah’s most stunning goals)
The Chasing Pack
Another team who failed to live up to expectations in 2019 were Ghana. They were second favourites three years ago but, like Egypt, they failed to make it through to the last four.
There won’t be as much interest this time and that could suit the Ghanaians. Their keys to success lie with two brothers – Andre and Jordan Ayew. They are the two most experienced players in the Ghana squad and Andre could win his 100th senior cap for the country during this tournament.
Further up the pitch, Jordan Ayew is likely to be the leading international goal scorer from within that Ghana squad.
It’s always worth taking an interest in the host nation and home advantage could help any side to go deep into the tournament. That advantage may not have assisted the Egyptians three years ago, but it has aided many other countries in the past.
In 2022, Cameroon has the honor of hosting the Africa Cup of Nations but are they genuine contenders for the trophy? Their hopes of success may rest entirely upon leading striker Vincent Aboubakar who has scored 24 times in 75 full internationals for his country.
An Unlikely Defence?
Few observers expected Algeria to win the 2019 tournament but their success underlines the potential for upsets in this tournament. For their defence in 2022, the team have been drawn in Group E with Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Ivory Coast will be tough opponents but, at the very least, Algeria should be progressing to the next phase. As we saw three years ago, anything can happen when teams reach the knockouts.
Elsewhere, a strong Senegalese team may just be the ones to watch. Sadio Mane is a teammate of Mo Salah’s at Liverpool and the two men have been a prolific pairing for the Merseyside club.
Along with Mane, Idrissa Gueye and Cheikhou Kouyate have both passed the 70-cap milestone so there is plenty of experience in this impressive Senegal squad.
Anticipation Builds
The delay to the tournament has only helped to build anticipation for the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations. It’s a feast of world class football where interest will extend beyond Africa and into the rest of the world.
It’s an important occasion for the 24 teams and also for the many players who will hope to showcase their talents with a view to a lucrative transfer deal with a major club.