The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations is edging closer and the 24 participants have started preparing for this competition.
Cameroon will host the tournament from January 9 to February 6 and five cities, as well as six stadiums, will host the 52 scheduled matches.
The cities include Yaounde, Douala, Garoua, Limbe and Bafoussam while the venues are Japoma, Olembe, Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Roumde Adjia, Kouekong and Limbe Stadium.
Algeria are the defending champions and will be bidding to defend the trophy they won in 2019 which was their second title.
This will be the 33rd edition of Afcon and it was scheduled to take place in 2021 but was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Afcon 2021: Match schedule
Round | Date |
Group Stage | January 9, 2022 - January 20, 2022. |
Round of 16 | January 23, 2022 - January 25, 2022 |
Quarter-finals | January 29, 2022 - January 30, 2022 |
Semi-finals | February 2, 2022 - February 3, 2022 |
Final/Third place play-off | February 6, 2022 |
How to watch Afcon 2021 on TV & live stream in South Africa
Football fans in South Africa will have access to live matches in Cameroon as SuperSport will broadcast live all 52 matches.
SuperSport TV's PSL channel 202 will carry 43 matches while the other nine games will be shown on SuperSport Variety 3 channel 208.
SuperSport Variety 3 has also been dedicated to Afcon for an array of content pieces including game highlights, focus on big stars, magazine shows, key clashes and statistical pieces.
For the first time ever, African streaming service Showmax will also treat its viewers to all 52 games live.
SABC 1 will also broadcast live and delayed games.
TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch
| Online Streaming | TV Channels |
|---|---|
| DStv.com/DStv Now App https://www.showmax.com | SuperSport TV's PSL channel 202/SuperSport Variety 3 channel 208 & SABC 1 |
PSL players to grace Afcon
BackpagepixThe likes of Kaizer Chiefs and Nigeria goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi and Orlando Pirates striker Frank Mhango will be in Cameroon. There will also be Malawi teammates Limbikani Mzava of AmaZulu and Baroka’s Richard Mbulu.
Zimbabwe have failed to persuade Chiefs star Khama Billiat to come out of international retirement.
The Warriors and Malawi have the highest number of PSL players (five each) in their tournament squads.
Orlando Pirates' Terrence Dzvukamanja and Golden Arrows’ all-time top goalscorer Knox Mutizwa have been surprisingly omitted by Zimbabwe who have seven players turning out for National First Division teams.