Afcon 2021 is headed towards the knockout stage, with some of the big names still in the running for gold.
There have also been a few shocks already, with heavyweights Ghana and holders Algeria being eliminated, while a few of the relatively smaller teams are still in contention.
GOAL takes a look at the qualified teams, permutations and fixtures for Afcon 2021 last 16.
Last updated: January 19
Afcon 2021: Which teams have qualified for the last 16?
Winners and runners-up from each of the six groups qualify for the last 16 of Afcon 2021. They are joined by the four best-ranked third-place teams.
Cameroon and Burkina Faso advanced from Group A, while Senegal and Guinea progressed from Group B. Morocco and Gabon qualified from Group C, while Nigeria and Egypt advanced out of Group D.
Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea landed 1st and 2nd respectively in Group E and Mali finished top of Group F ahead of Gambia.
Afcon 2021 group winners & runners-up
Group | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
A | Cameroon | Burkina Faso |
B | Senegal | Guinea |
C | Morocco | Gabon |
D | Nigeria | Egypt |
E | Ivory Coast | Equatorial Guinea |
F | Mali | Gambia |
Afcon 2021 best third-placed teams
Cape Verde, Malawi, Tunisia and Comoros ended up finishing in the best third-place finish spots the end of the group stage.
You can see the ranking of the best third-placed teams in the table below, with Sierra Leone and Sudan both ultimately missing out on a last 16 berth.
Rank | Team | Group |
|---|---|---|
1 | Cape Verde | A |
2 | Malawi | B |
3 | Tunisia | F |
4 | Comoros | C |
5 | Sierra Leone | E |
6 | Sudan | D |
Afcon 2021 last 16 fixtures: Who plays who?
Date | Fixture |
|---|---|
Jan 23 | Burkina Faso vs Gabon |
Jan 23 | Nigeria vs Tunisia |
Jan 24 | Guinea vs Gambia |
Jan 24 | Cameroon vs Comoros |
Jan 25 | Senegal vs Cape Verde |
Jan 25 | Morocco vs Malawi |
Jan 26 | Mali vs Equatorial Guinea |
Jan 26 | Ivory Coast vs Egypt |
Burkina Faso and Gabon will collide in the last 16, in what was the first knockout game to be confirmed.
Nigeria have landed Tunisia, Guinea will take on the runners-up from Group F in Gambia and Cameroon will lock horns with Group C's third-place side Comoros.
Senegal, who advanced from Group B as winners, will play the third-placed team from Group A in Cape Verde, while Group C winners Morocco have been pitted against Malawi.
In the final two last-16 ties, Group E winners Ivory Coast will meet Egypt and Mali are due to clash with Equatorial Guinea as the competition starts to really heat up.