AFCON 2021 continues on Wednesday January 12 when Tunisia face Mali, Ivory Coast play Equatorial Guinea and Mauritania take on Gambia; all 52 games throughout the competition will be shown live across Sky Sports; tournament concludes with the final on Sunday February 6
Wednesday 19 January 2022 18:13, UK
Dates, kick-off times and host cities - here's the full schedule for AFCON 2021.
The tournament, originally scheduled to be played in June and July 2021, is being held in Cameroon between January 9 and February 6, 2022, with Sky Sports showing all 52 games live.
Twenty-four teams are taking part. The action kicked off with hosts Cameroon beating Burkina Faso in Yaounde, and will culminate in the final on February 6 at the same Olembe Stadium venue.
Tunisia are preparing for their first game of the tournament against Mali. As the highest-ranked team in a group that also includes Mauritania and Gambia, the Eagles of Carthage will go into the game as favourites and they beat Mali 1-0 in a friendly international back in June last year.
However Mali, who are also nicknamed the Eagles, are unbeaten in six World Cup qualification matches since and kept a clean sheet in all of them, scoring 11 goals along the way.
Tunisia's best showing in the continental competition came in 2004 when they won their only title, while Mali were runners-up in 1972 and finished third in 2012 and 2013.
Mondher Kebaier, Tunisia head coach, hopes his players adapt to challenging conditions, saying: "Since the first day we arrived here, I came two months ago and checked the accommodation conditions. We stopped because circumstances were difficult on all levels.
"When the crew arrived we saw the facilities that exist, we don't say it is different to others, these are circumstances we are used to, most of the players and staff have travelled a lot around Africa, and we know how to handle it as necessary.
"We are not here to blame the circumstances, we have an objective and that is representing Tunisia in the best possible way. Tunisia's history and heritage is going to motivate us to play the first rounds and go a long way."
Ivory Coast will face Equatorial Guinea in the second match of Group E on Wednesday at the Jubama Stadium in Douala. Pride is on the line for the Elephants, who have missed the opportunity for a second time running to be present on the world stage after finishing second to Cameroon in Group D of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
They have won the AFCON trophy twice with both titles coming against Ghana in lengthy penalty shoot-outs, in 1992 and 2015.
Ivory Coach head coach Patrice Beaumelle said: "Each team wants to start the competition well. We saw close matches, so I have a lot of respect for Equatorial Guinea I have played them many times, whether with Zambia or Ivory Coast in 2015.
"It has always been close games, so we expect a close game. It's up to us to be on the level and to play our football to try to start this competition well with three points."
Group A: Cameroon (hosts), Burkina Faso, Cape Verde Islands, Ethiopia
Group B: Guinea, Malawi, Senegal, Zimbabwe
Group C: Comoros Islands, Gabon, Ghana, Morocco
Group D: Egypt, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Sudan
Group E: Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone
Group F: Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Tunisia
Sunday January 9
Group A: Cameroon 2-1 Burkina Faso
Group A: Ethiopia 0-1 Cape Verde
Monday January 10
Group B: Senegal 1-0 Zimbabwe
Group B: Guinea 1-0 Malawi
Group C: Morocco 1-0 Ghana
Group C: Comoros 0-1 Gabon
Tuesday January 11
Group E: Algeria 0-0 Sierra Leone
Group D: Nigeria 1-0 Egypt
Group D: Sudan 0-0 Guinea-Bissau
Wednesday January 12
Group F: Tunisia 0-1 Mali
Group F: Mauritania vs Gambia, 4pm (Limbe Stadium, Limbe) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Group E: Equatorial Guinea vs Ivory Coast (Japoma Stadium, Douala) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Thursday January 13
Group A: Cameroon vs Ethiopia, 4pm (Olembe Stadium, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Group A: Cape Verde vs Burkina Faso, 7pm (Olembe Stadium, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Friday January 14
Group B: Senegal vs Guinea, 1pm (Kouekong Stadium, Bafoussam) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Group B: Malawi vs Zimbabwe, 4pm (Kouekong Stadium, Bafoussam) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Group C: Morocco vs Comoros, 4pm (Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Group C: Gabon vs Ghana, 7pm (Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Saturday January 15
Group D: Nigeria vs Sudan, 4pm (Roumde Adjia Stadium, Garoua) - Live on Sky Sports
Group D: Guinea-Bissau vs Egypt, 7pm (Roumde Adjia Stadium, Garoua) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Sunday January 16
Group F: Gambia vs Mali, 1pm (Limbe Stadium, Limbe) - Live on Sky Sports Mix
Group E: Ivory Coast vs Sierra Leone, 4pm (Japoma Stadium, Douala) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Group F: Tunisia vs Mauritania, 4pm (Limbe Stadium, Limbe) - Live on Sky Sports Mix
Group E: Algeria vs Equatorial Guinea, 7pm (Japoma Stadium, Douala) - Live on Sky Sports Mix
Monday January 17
Group A: Burkina Faso vs Ethiopia, 4pm (Kouekong Stadium, Bafoussam) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Group A: Cape Verde vs Cameroon, 4pm (Olembe Stadium, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Tuesday January 18
Group B: Malawi vs Senegal, 4pm (Kouekong Stadium, Bafoussam) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Group B: Zimbabwe vs Guinea, 4pm (Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Group C: Gabon vs Morocco, 7pm (Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Group C: Ghana vs Comoros, 7pm (Roumde Adjia Stadium, Garoua) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Wednesday January 19
Group D: Egypt vs Sudan, 7pm (Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Group D: Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria, 7pm (Roumde Adjia Stadium, Garoua) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Group E: Ivory Coast vs Algeria, 4pm (Japoma Stadium, Douala) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Group E: Sierra Leone vs Equatorial Guinea, 4pm (Limbe Stadium, Limbe) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Group F: Gambia vs Tunisia, 7pm (Limbe Stadium, Limbe) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Group F: Mali vs Mauritania, 7pm (Japoma Stadium, Douala) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Sunday January 23
Game 1: Group A runner-up vs Group C runner-up, 4pm (Limbe Stadium, Limbe) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Game 2: Group D winner vs Group B/E/F third-place, 7pm (Roumde Adjia Stadium, Garoua) - Live on Sky Sports Mix
Monday January 24
Game 3: Group B runner-up vs Group F runner-up, 4pm (Kouekong Stadium, Bafoussam) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Game 4: Group A winner vs Group C/D/E third-place, 7pm (Olembe Stadium, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Tuesday January 25
Game 5: Group B winner vs Group A/C/D third-place, 4pm (Kouekong Stadium, Bafoussam) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Game 6: Group C winner vs Group A/B/F third-place, 7pm (Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Wednesday January 26
Game 7: Group E winner vs Group D runner-up, 4pm (Japoma Stadium, Douala) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Game 8: Group F winner vs Group E runner-up, 7pm (Limbe Stadium, Limbe) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Saturday January 29
Quarter-final 1: Round-of-16 game 4 winner vs Round-of-16 game 3 winner, 4pm (Japoma Stadium, Douala) - Live on Sky Sports
Quarter-final 2: Round-of-16 game 1 winner vs Round-of-16 game 2 winner, 7pm (Roumde Adjia Stadium, Garoua) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Sunday January 30
Quarter-final 3: Round-of-16 game 7 winner vs Round-of-16 game 6 winner, 4pm (Olembe Stadium, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Quarter-final 4: Round-of-16 game 5 winner vs Round-of-16 game 8 winner, 7pm (Japoma Stadium, Douala) - Live on Sky Sports Football
Wednesday February 2
Semi-final 1: Quarter-final 1 winner vs Quarter-final 4 winner, 7pm (Japoma Stadium, Douala) - Live on Sky Sports
Thursday February 3
Semi-final 2: Quarter-final 2 winner vs Quarter-final 3 winner, 7pm (Olembe Stadium, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports
Sunday February 6
Semi-final 1 loser vs Semi-final 2 loser, 4pm (Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports
Sunday February 6
Semi-final 1 winner vs Semi-final 2 winner, 7pm (Olembe Stadium, Yaounde) - Live on Sky Sports
