While in Montreal, we are stuck in the middle of winter and its many, many snowfalls, Africa is preparing for its international continental tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations, of AFCON for friends. This biennial competition, which celebrates this year its 60th anniversary, puts forward 16 African national teams qualified through a preliminary round. Its 31st edition will take place this year on Central Africa’s Atlantic coast, in Gabon, starting January 14. Impact Media will keep an eye – and sometimes two – on the tournament, mainly as our full back Ambroise Oyongo will feature prominently in Cameroon’s back four.
History
In sixty years, the Africa Cup of Nations has been won most often by Egypt, who lifted the trophy seven times, including a treble in 2006, 2008 and 2010. The current holders are the Elephants from Ivory Coast, getting their hands on the title thanks to an epic penalty shootout win back in 2015 during which goalkeepers decided the fate of the final – through their feet.
The Africa Cup of Nations’ origins are stormy. The first two editions only had three countries playing, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, three of the four Confederation of African Football founding nations – the other being South Africa who, because of its apartheid policies, was disqualified from attending the tournament in front of its insistence to only select white players.
The tournament will grow in fame and size during the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, going from three to eight qualified countries, then to 12 in 1992 and 1994, before finding its current format of 16 teams in 1996, as South Africa was taking part and hosting the AFCON for the first time ever due to the end of apartheid. In iconic fashion, it was Nelson Mandela who gave the winners’ trophy to South Africa’s white captain, Neil Tovey.
Since then, African football has spread its wings. As proof, only look at African countries’ World Cup results: from 1986 to 2014, they went to the knockout round nine times. We also have to consider the emergence of superstars like Roger Milla, George Weah, Samuel Eto’o and obviously Didier Drogba and the trickling interest from clubs around the world, paving the way for African players to reach Europe, America and Asia and play football.
Groups and schedule
Group A
Gabon
Player to watch: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund)
Nickname: The Panthers
Burkina Faso
Player to watch: Bertrand Traoré (Ajax Amsterdam)
Nickname: The Stallions
Cameroon
Player to watch: Ambroise Oyongo (Montreal Impact)
Nickname: The Indomitable Lions
Guinea-Bissau
Player to watch: Zé Turbo (C.D. Tondela)
Nickname: The Lycaons
Group A schedule
All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Saturday, January 14
Gabon v. Guinea-Bissau, 11am
Burkina Faso v. Cameroon, 2pm
Wednesday, January 18
Gabon v. Burkina Faso, 11am
Cameroon v. Guinea-Bissau, 2pm
Sunday, January 22
Cameroon v. Gabon, 2pm
Guinea-Bissau v. Burkina Faso, 2pm
Group B
Algeria
Players to watch: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Saphir Taïder (Bologna FC 1909)
Nickname: The Greens, the Fennecs
Tunisia
Player to watch: Aymen Abdennour (Valencia CF)
Nickname: The Eagles of Carthage
Senegal
Player to watch: Sadio Mané (Liverpool)
Nickname: The Lions
Zimbabwe
Player to watch: Knowledge Musona (K.V. Oostende)
Nickname: The Warriors
Group B schedule
Sunday, January 15
Algeria v. Zimbabwe, 11am
Tunisia v. Senegal, 2pm
Thursday, January 19
Algeria v. Tunisia, 11am
Senegal v. Zimbabwe, 2pm
Monday, January 23
Zimbabwe v. Tunisia, 2pm
Senegal v. Algeria, 2pm
Group C
Ivory Coast
Player to watch: Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
Nickname: The Elephants
DR Congo
Player to watch: Yannick Bolasie (Everton)
Nickname: The Leopards
Morocco
Player to watch: Mehdi Benatia (Juventus)
Nickname: The Atlas Lions
Togo
Player to watch: Emmanuel Adebayor (no club)
Nickname: The Sparrow Hawks
Group C schedule
Monday, January 16
Ivory Coast v. Togo, 11am
DR Congo v. Morocco, 2pm
Friday, January 20
Ivory Coast v. DR Congo, 11am
Morocco v. Togo, 2pm
Tuesday, January 24
Togo v. DR Congo, 2pm
Morocco v. Ivory Coast, 2pm
Group D
Ghana
Players to watch: André Ayew (West Ham United), Harrison Afful and Jonathan Mensah (Columbus Crew)
Nickname: Black Stars
Mali
Player to watch: Adama Traoré (AS Monaco)
Nickname: The Eagles
Egypt
Player to watch: Mohamed Salah (AS Roma)
Nickname: The Pharaohs
Uganda
Player to watch: Farouk Miya (Standard Liège)
Nickname: The Cranes
Group D schedule
Tuesday, January 17
Ghana v. Uganda, 11am
Mali v. Egypt, 2pm
Saturday, January 21
Ghana v. Mali, 11am
Egypt v. Uganda, 2pm
Wednesday, January 25
Egypt v. Ghana, 2pm
Uganda v. Mali, 2pm
Quarter-finals
Saturday, January 28 and Sunday, January 28, 11am and 2pm
Semifinals
Wednesday February 1 and Thursday, February 2, 2pm
Final
Sunday, February 5, 2pm
