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Rabat – The final draw for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, initially scheduled for the 25th of June, will now take place within the first 15 days of August.
A few days ago, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced in a press release that the draw will no longer be held on June 25 due to “logistical reasons” caused by the COVID-19.
“The draw will take place during the first half of August. The exact date will be communicated very quickly,” said Secretary-General of CAF Veron Mosengo-Omba during a press briefing he held, June 15, in Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon.
The official also denied any intention to relocate the CAN 2021, confirming that the competition will indeed take place in Cameroon. “AFCON will be organized here in this country [Cameroon] in January next year,” he noted as he expressed his wish for a successful tournament. “We have to work together to deliver an AFCON that will be the first of its kind in the continent,” Mosengo-Omba stated.
The Secretary-General concluded by congratulating Cameroon for its level of preparedness to host the continental competition.
The tournament, which was scheduled to take place in January and February 2021, will now take place from January 9 to February 6, 2022.
The African competition will see the participation of 24 teams. The qualified teams will be divided into six groups of four teams. The winners and the runner-ups of each group will advance to the round of 16 along with the four best-ranked third-placed teams.
After ranking first in Group E, the Moroccan national team has already qualified for the tournament, collecting 14 points out of 18 in the qualification stage.
The one-time title holders hope for a successful campaign in the upcoming tournament due to the Moroccan team’s quality. Despite the underwhelming performances of Vahid Halilhodzic’s men in the last friendlies, the Moroccan football family believes that the national team will evolve and make an impression in official competitions starting with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers.
