Afcon 2021 Group Stage Stat Pack Review

Hosts Cameroon topped their group with seven points, continuing the trend of teams hosting the competition getting to the knock-out rounds at the Africa Cup of Nations in all but one edition since the turn of the century (13 out of 14 nations, including shared-hosts), with the only exception being Gabon in 2017.

Four-time Africa Cup of Nations winners Ghana failed to win at least one match in a single Afcon edition, with this their 23rd appearance in the competition.

The Black Stars failed to progress to the knock-out stage for the first time since 2006.

Gambia and Comoros have both made it through to the knock-out rounds in their very first appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations – it’s the first time two debutants have made it out of their group in an Afcon edition since Ivory Coast and Senegal finished joint-third in 1965 (the first Afcon with a group stage).

Algeria became the first reigning champions to fail to qualify from the group stage at the Africa Cup of Nations since Ivory Coast in 2017. While they are the first reigning champions to lose two group stage games in a single Afcon tournament since Cameroon in 1990. 

Algeria only scored once from 46 attempts at goal – the lowest shot conversion rate for a team since Burkina Faso in 2015.

Senegal finished top of Group B with five points (W1 D2), becoming the first side since Zambia in 1994 to win their group while scoring only once.

Cameroon have scored the most goals at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations so far (seven), while the last teams to score more in the group stage of the competition did so back in 2008 (Cameroon – 10, Egypt and Ivory Coast – 8). 

There have been 10 goals scored from the penalty spot at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations so far, already more than in any of the previous three tournaments and just one short of the total in 2008 (11).

Indeed, it’s the most ever recorded in the group stage of a single Afcon edition. 

There have been 68 goals scored from 816 attempts in the 36 matches at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations so far, an average of 22.7 shots per game with a shot conversion rate of 8.3% - both the lowest on record since Opta began collecting this data in 2010.

Only Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubakar (15) had more attempts at goal than Algeria’s Youcef Balaili (12).

In fact, the Algerian also created the most chances in the 2021 Afcon group stage (12), and the most without registering a single assist since Zambia’s Rainford Kalaba in 2013 (17). 

Ibrahima Kone became the first player to score three goals for Mali in a single Africa Cup of Nations since Seydou Keita in 2013, with all three from the penalty spot, becoming the first player to net three penalties in a single Afcon edition since Ghana’s Mubarak Wubaso in 2013 (3).