2021 Africa Cup of Nations

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The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, officially the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, was played in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6, 2022. It was originally planned for 2021 but was moved due to climate issues and COVID-19, so it kept the 2021 name.

Twenty-four teams took part, divided into six groups of four. The top two from each group and the four best third-placed teams advanced to the knockout rounds. Matches were held in six stadiums across five cities: Yaoundé (Olembe and Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo), Douala (Japoma), Limbe (Limbe Stadium), Bafousam (Kouekong Stadium) and Garoua (Roumde Adjia). The opening match and final were played at the new 60,000-seat Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé.

Defending champions Algeria were eliminated in the group stage. Senegal won their first AFCON title by defeating Egypt 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the final.

There were some notable problems during the tournament, including refereeing controversies and a deadly crowd incident. A match between Tunisia and Mali was not completed because of a controversial refereeing decision, and a crowd crush in Yaoundé during a knockout game caused eight deaths and many injuries.

In the end, 52 matches were played and 100 goals were scored (about 1.92 per game). Vincent Aboubakar was the top scorer with eight goals. Sadio Mané was named the best player, Issa Kaboré the best young player, Édouard Mendy the best goalkeeper, and Senegal won the Fair Play award.

Also, the official match ball was Toghu by Umbro, and the tournament mascot was “Mola.”