Organizers may have been forced to push the competition back a year, but the Africa Cup of Nations is finally happening in Cameroon, with 24 nations battling for the crown of best team in Africa, a title currently held by a dominant Algeria team. The complete schedule for the tournament follows below.
Algeria, which also added the FIFA Arab Cup to its trophy case in December, is expected to face the biggest challenge to its title defense from Senegal, the team it beat in the final of the last edition. The Senegalese are in search of their first AFCON championship.
Egypt has won the tournament more often than any other nation (seven), but it hasn't hoisted the trophy since 2010. Fans of the Pharaohs will hope Liverpool superstar forward Mohamed Salah can carry the team far. Ivory Coast has a deep and experienced squad, while host Cameroon will like its chances to pull off a surprise and replicate its 2017 title run.
MORE: AFCON 2022 updated group standings
Cameroon is hosting the tournament for the first time since 1972, and all eyes will be on how much of an impact the recent COVID-19 surge will have on the event. The fast-spreading omicron variant has already wreaked havoc with league competitions around the world, and positive tests could make for unpredictable lineups. But there will be no postponements and coaches will have expanded 28-man rosters and five substitutes (and a sixth in extra time) to help manage any outbreaks.
Matches will be played in front of reduced-capacity crowds with fans in attendance required to show proof of vaccination. It remains to be seen just how many fans actually show up since, according to Reuters, two percent of Cameroon's population is vaccinated.
AFCON 2022 TV & streaming in USA, Canada
- Dates: Jan. 9 through Feb. 6 (52 matches)
- Times: 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m. ET
- TV channels: beIN Sports, beIN Sports XTRA
- Spanish-language TV: beIN Sports en Espanol, beIN Sports XTRA en Espanol
- Streaming: fuboTV, beIN Sports Connect, and other platforms
The AFCON tournament will be carried by beIN Sports in the USA and Canada, and coverage will be available in both English and Spanish.
Cable and satellite TV channels beIN Sports and beIN Sports en Espanol will air the majority of matches, and others will be broadcast on free channel beIN Sports XTRA followed by a tape-delayed showing on the main TV channels.
Fans can access all of these beIN broadcasts via fuboTV, which is available for new users via a free trial.
AFCON 2022 schedule
Sunday, Jan. 9
| Match | |
| Cameroon 2, Burkina Faso 1 (Group A) | Highlights |
| Ethiopia 0, Cape Verde 1 (Group A) | Highlights |
Monday, Jan. 10
| Match | |
| Senegal 1, Zimbabwe 0 (Group B) | Highlights |
| Guinea 1, Malawi 0 (Group B) | Highlights |
| Morocco 1, Ghana 0 (Group C) | Highlights |
| Comoros 0, Gabon 1 (Group C) | Highlights |
Tuesday, Jan. 11
| Match | |
| Algeria 0, Sierra Leone 0 (Group E) | Highlights |
| Nigeria 1, Egypt 0 (Group D) | Highlights |
| Sudan 0, Guinea-Bissau 0 (Group D) | Highlights |
Wednesday, Jan. 12
| Match | |
| Tunisia 0, Mali 1 (Group F) | Highlights |
| Mauritania 0, Gambia 1 (Group F) | Highlights |
| Equ. Guinea 0, Ivory Coast 1 (Group E) | Highlights |
Thursday, Jan. 13
| Match | |
| Cameroon 4, Ethiopia 1 (Group A) | Highlights |
| Cape Verde 0, Burkina Faso 1 (Group A) | Highlights |
Friday, Jan. 14
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Senegal 0, Guinea 0 (Group B) | Highlights | ||
| Malawi vs. Zimbabwe (Group B) | 11 a.m. | beIN XTRA beIN XTRA Espanol | fuboTV |
| Morocco vs. Comoros (Group C) | 11 a.m. | — | — |
| Gabon vs. Ghana (Group C) | 2 p.m. | beIN XTRA beIN XTRA Espanol | fuboTV |
Saturday, Jan. 15
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Nigeria vs. Sudan (Group D) | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Guinea-Bissau vs. Egypt (Group D) | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Sunday, Jan. 16
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Gambia vs. Mali (Group F) | 8 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Tunisia vs. Mauritania (Group F) | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Ivory Coast vs. Sierra Leone (Group E) | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Algeria vs. Equ. Guinea (Group E) | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Monday, Jan. 17
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Burkina Faso vs. Ethiopia (Group A) | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Cape Verde vs. Cameroon (Group A) | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Tuesday, Jan. 18
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Zimbabwe vs. Guinea (Group B) | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Malawi vs. Senegal (Group B) | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Gabon vs. Morocco (Group C) | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Ghana vs. Comoros (Group C) | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Wednesday, Jan. 19
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Egypt vs. Sudan (Group D) | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Guinea-Bissau vs. Nigeria (Group D) | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Thursday, Jan. 20
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Ivory Coast vs. Algeria (Group E) | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Sierra Leone vs. Equ. Guinea (Group E) | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Mali vs. Mauritania (Group F) | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Gambia vs. Tunisia (Group F) | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Sunday, Jan. 23 (Round of 16)
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Round of 16 No. 1: A2 vs. C2 | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Round of 16 No. 2: D1 vs. B3/E3/F3 | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Monday, Jan. 24 (Round of 16)
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Round of 16 No. 3: B2 vs. F2 | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Round of 16 No. 4: A1 vs. C3/D3/E3 | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Tuesday, Jan. 25 (Round of 16)
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Round of 16 No. 5: B1 vs. A3/C3/D3 | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Round of 16 No. 6: C1 vs. A3/B3/F3 | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Wednesday, Jan. 26 (Round of 16)
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Round of 16 No. 7: E1 vs. D2 | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Round of 16 No. 8: F1 vs. E2 | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Saturday, Jan. 29 (Quarterfinals)
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Quarterfinal 1: Round of 16 No. 3 vs. Round of 16 No. 4 | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Quarterfinal 2: Round of 16 No. 1 vs. Round of 16 No. 2 | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Sunday, Jan. 30 (Quarterfinals)
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Quarterfinal 3: Round of 16 No. 7 vs. Round of 16 No. 6 | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Quarterfinal 4: Round of 16 No. 5 vs. Round of 16 No. 8 | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Wednesday, Feb. 2 (Semifinal)
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Semifinal 1: Quarterfinal 2 vs. Quarterfinal 4 | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Thursday, Feb. 3 (Semifinal)
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Semifinal 2: Quarterfinal 3 vs. Quartefinal 1 | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
Sunday, Feb. 6 (Third place, final)
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Third-place match | 11 a.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
| Championship final | 2 p.m. | TBD | fuboTV |
AFCON 2022: Tournament format
Similar to other continental championships and World Cup tournaments, the Africa Cup of Nations begins with a group stage, followed by knockout rounds all the way to the final. And for the first time in the competition's history, all 52 matches will feature video review and the use of a Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
MORE: Ranking the top 10 players at AFCON
Group stage: The 24 nations are divided into six groups of four nations each. At the conclusion of round-robin group play — with three points awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss — the top two teams in each group based on points (and tiebreakers, if necessary) advance to the knockouts. The remaining slots in the Round of 16 will be filled out by the four best third-place finishers.
Knockout stage: A predetermined knockout bracket will be played out all the way through to the final. If any knockout match ends in a tie after 90 minutes, the teams will play 30 minutes of extra time. If the draw persists, a penalty-kick shootout will determine the team to move on. The third-place match is the only one that would skip extra time and move straight to the shootout in case of a draw.