The 33rd Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has begun, with hosts Cameroon defeating Burkina Faso in Group A’s first match.
It would be exciting to observe how this celebration of African football pans out, given it is the first international event of the year.
However, having been postponed owing to the Covid epidemic, many may not have anticipated it to happen at all, but the fact that it is happening is tribute to its importance in the football calendar.
Champions Algeria are favorites to defend their title in Cameroon, however Egypt and Senegal could pose stiff resistance.
Senegal kicked off their campaign with a last-gasp victory over Zimbabwe, thanks to a penalty from Sadio Mane, whereas Ghana was defeated by a late Moroccan goal in their first group match.
AFCON 2022: Group tables and standings:
Group A
| Position | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Cameroon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Cape Verde | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Ethiopia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 4 | Burkina Faso | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
Group A fixtures:
Sunday January 9
Cameroon 2-1 Burkina Faso – 4pm GMT kick-off
Ethiopia 0-1 Cape Verde – 7pm GMT kick-off
Thursday January 13
Cameroon vs Ethiopia – 4pm GMT kick-off
Cape Verde vs Burkina Faso – 7pm GMT kick-off
Monday January 17
Burkina Faso vs Ethiopia – 4pm GMT kick-off
Cape Verde vs Cameroon – 4pm GMT kick-off
Group B
| Position | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Senegal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Guinea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Malawi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 4 | Zimbabwe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
Group B fixtures
Monday January 10
Senegal 1-0 Zimbabwe – 1pm GMT kick-off
Guinea 1-0 Malawi – 4pm GMT kick-off
Friday January 14
Senegal vs Guinea – 1pm GMT kick-off
Malawi vs Zimbabwe – 4pm GMT kick-off
Tuesday January 18
Malawi vs Senegal – 4pm GMT kick-off
Zimbabwe vs Guinea – 4pm GMT kick-off
Group C
| Position | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Morocco | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Gabon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Comoros | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 4 | Ghana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
Group C fixtures
Monday January 10
Morocco 1-0 Ghana – 4pm GMT kick-off
Comoros 0-1 Gabon – 7pm GMT kick-off
Friday January 14
Morocco vs Comoros – 4pm GMT kick-off
Gabon vs Ghana – 7pm GMT kick-off
Tuesday January 18
Gabon vs Morocco – 7pm GMT kick-off
Ghana vs Comoros – 7pm GMT kick-off
Group D
| Position | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Egypt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Guinea-Bissau | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Nigeria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Sudan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group D fixtures
Tuesday January 11
Algeria vs Sierra Leone – 1pm GMT kick-off
Nigeria vs Egypt – 4pm GMT kick-off
Sudan vs Guinea-Bissau 7pm GMT kick-off
Saturday January 15
Nigeria vs Sudan – 4pm GMT kick-off
Guinea-Bissau vs Egypt – 7pm GMT kick-off
Wednesday January 19
Egypt vs Sudan – 7pm GMT kick-off
Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria – 7pm GMT kick-off
Group E
| Position | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Algeria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Ivory Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Equatorial Guinea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Sierra Leone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group E fixtures
Tuesday January 11
Algeria vs Sierra Leone – 1pm GMT kick-off
Wednesday January 12
Equatorial Guinea vs Ivory Coast – 7pm GMT kick-off
Sunday January 16
Algeria vs Equatorial Guinea – 7pm GMT kick-off
Ivory Coast vs Sierra Leone – 4pm GMT kick-off
Thursday January 20
Ivory Coast vs Algeria – 4pm GMT kick-off
Sierra Leone vs Equatorial Guinea 4pm GMT kick-off
Group F
| Position | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Gambia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Mali | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Mauritania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Tunisia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group F fixtures
Wednesday January 12
Tunisia vs Mali – 1pm GMT kick-off
Mauritania vs Gambia – 4pm GMT kick-off
Sunday January 16
Gambia vs Mali – 1pm GMT kick-off
Tunisia vs Mauritania – 4pm GMT kick-off
Thursday January 20
Gambia vs Tunisia – 7pm GMT kick-off
Mali vs Mauritania – 7pm GMT kick-off