AFCON: Battle for quarter-final tickets begins saturday

By Tosin Omojola –

With the preliminary round over, attention now shifts to the knockout stage of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), ongoing in Morocco.

Sixteen teams—comprising the top two from each of the six groups and the four best third-placed teams—have qualified for the next stage.

Morocco and Mali emerged as the top two teams from Group A; Egypt and South Africa from Group B; and Nigeria and Tunisia from Group C.

Senegal and DR Congo qualified from Group D; Algeria and Burkina Faso from Group E; and Ivory Coast, joined by Cameroon, secured Group F’s spots.

The four best third-placed teams are Tanzania from Group C, Benin from Group D, Sudan from Group E, and Mozambique from Group F.

The knockout stage opens on Saturday with Senegal taking on Sudan, followed by Mali facing Tunisia. On the following day, host and Group A winners Morocco will face Group C third-placed side Tanzania, after which South Africa will clash with Cameroon in a highly anticipated showdown.

On Monday, Egypt and Benin will meet in the first game, before high-flying Nigeria—the only team with a 100 percent record in the first round, having won all its Group C matches—takes on Mozambique.

The knockout stage will conclude on Tuesday, with Algeria playing against DR Congo, followed by Ivory Coast facing Burkina Faso in the second match of the day and final game of the stage.