29.07.2021 14:33 h

New Africa Cup of Nations draw date set

The draw for the rescheduled 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon will be held in Yaounde on August 17, the organisers said on Thursday.

It was originally set for June 25 in the Cameroonian capital only to be delayed by coronavirus pandemic issues.

The 24-team premier African football tournament has twice been postponed because of Covid-19 and is now due to kick off on January 9 and conclude on February 6.

Algeria will defend a trophy they won in Cairo two years ago by defeating Senegal 1-0 in the final through an early goal from Baghdad Bounedjah.

Cameroon are hosting the Cup of Nations for the first time since 1972, when only eight countries competed and Congo Brazzaville triumphed.

The other 22 qualifiers are Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Comoros, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tunisia, Sudan and Zimbabwe.