Round 1 of the Group Stage begins with the Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations 2021 tournament opener on the evening of Sunday 9 January, with hosts Cameroon taking on Burkina Faso at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde for a Group A clash.
The Indomitable Lions are five-time AFCON champions and looking to get their bid for a sixth title off to a flying start.
“We have a duty to the people of Cameroon,” said coach Toni Conceicao. “We will do all we can to try and win this AFCON, but of course it will not be easy: there are many strong teams in the tournament. We will go one game at a time, starting with our first against Burkina Faso.”
Sunday will also see Ethiopia take on Cape Verde in the other Group A clash, before Monday 10 January features battles from Groups B and C. The pick of games on Monday is the meeting of Morocco and Ghana for a Group C battle at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaounde, with the Atlas Lions and the Black Stars set for a heavyweight rumble.
Former Black Stars scout Didi Dramani said that gone are the days when some groupgs are considered toughest or weakest group as there is nothing like that in football now.
“You can see how the qualifiers went, there are no minors in the game,” he explained.
Tuesday 11 January is headlined by another heavyweight match, with Nigeria taking on Egypt in Garoua for a crunch Group D clash. The Super Eagles recently took the bold decision of axing long-serving coach Gernot Rohr and replacing him with caretaker Augustine Eguavoen, but former Nigerian international Dimeji Lawal has backed the new man to do well at the AFCON.
“I think Eguavoen is a good choice because he played for this country and has served in several capacities within the Nigerian football fraternity,” said Lawal, who added: “And if along the line he does very well, I think he should be given the job on a permanent basis.”
Tuesday also sees reigning African champions Algeria open their Group E campaign with a clash against Sierra Leone in Douala, while the Fennec Foxes’ main threats in the group, Ivory Coast, will be in action on Wednesday 12 January, as they take on Equatorial Guinea. Wednesday also features Tunisia v Mali and Mauritania v Gambia from Group F.
Group Stage Round 1 broadcast details, 9-12 January 2022
Sunday 9 January
18:00: Cameroon v Burkina Faso – LIVE on SuperSport PSL, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 2
21:00: Ethiopia v Cape Verde – LIVE on SuperSport PSL, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 2
Monday 10 January
15:00: Senegal v Zimbabwe – LIVE on SuperSport Grandstand, SuperSport PSL, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 2
18:00: Guinea v Malawi – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 4, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
18:00: Morocco v Ghana – LIVE on SuperSport Grandstand, SuperSport PSL, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 2
21:00: Comoros v Gabon – LIVE on SuperSport Grandstand, SuperSport PSL, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 2
Tuesday 11 January
15:00: Algeria v Sierra Leone – LIVE on SuperSport PSL, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 2
18:00: Nigeria v Egypt – LIVE on SuperSport PSL, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 2
21:00: Sudan v Guinea-Bissau – LIVE on SuperSport PSL, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 2, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 2
Wednesday 12 January
15:00: Tunisia v Mali – LIVE on SuperSport PSL, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 2
18:00: Mauritania v Gambia – LIVE on SuperSport PSL, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 2
21:00: Equatorial Guinea v Ivory Coast – LIVE on SuperSport PSL, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 2.
