All You Need to Know About The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations
June 7, 2019
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations will kick off on the 21st of June in Egypt, and the qualified teams have already begun preparation.
This will be the 32nd edition of the biennial continental competition. The AFCON is Africa’s biggest football competition and has always been known to be intriguing. The 2019 African Cup of Nations will feature 24 countries for the first time since its inception.
Here’s all you need to know about the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.
Defending Champions
Cameroon is the defending champion. They defeated Egypt 2-1 in the final of 2017 African Cup of Nations. Cameroon successfully qualified and has the chance to defend their title.
Host
Egypt will host the 2019 AFCON, and that will make it the fifth time that they’ll do so. The AFCON 2019 as supposed to be hosted by Cameroon, but in November 2018, Cameroon was stripped of its hosting rights because of infrastructural delays, Boko Haram insurgency, and crisis. Early this year, Egypt was selected to be the 2019 AFCON hosts.
Qualified Teams
The AFCON was expanded from 16 to 24 teams for the 2019 edition, and the qualified teams include:
Egypt, Madagascar, Tunisia, Senegal, Morocco, Mauritania, Burundi, Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mali, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Angola, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, Zimbabwe, DR Congo, Benin, Tanzania, South Africa.
Tanzania will return to the AFCON after 39 years, while Namibia, Mauritania, and Burundi will make their debut.
Prize Money
The winners of the 2019 AFCON will receive $4.5 million. The runners-up will receive a prize of $2.5 million. The teams who are eliminated in the semifinals will get US$2.0 million. The teams who are eliminated in the quarter-finals will get $800,000.
VAR
Also for the first time, the video assistant referees (VARs) will be utilized during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, starting from the quarterfinals.
Other information
French multinational integrated oil and gas company, TOTAL will sponsor the 2019 AFCON. The official match ball for the tournament was named Neo Pro.
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This article is brought to us by our Sports Writers Club resident columnist – Collins Michael Nwokolo. Follow him on Twitter and Pinterest.
