If there is one competition that people get excited about when it comes to football, it is the Africa Cup of Nations. This is when teams compete against each other to get their hands on the golden cup. A lot of viewers tune in for this competitive tournament and every year, there is a new favourite team to win. If you have missed some of the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations, or are new to watching the tournament, here is a way to catch up on the action.
History of the Africa Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the CAN, is an exciting tournament that has been running for 63 years. There are 24 teams that play and compete for the cup and it is classed as the main international men’s associated football tournament that is played in Africa. It is a competition that is held every two years and creates a lot of excitement in the nations. It is made sure that the competition does not clash and intervene with the FIFA World Cup. Therefore, all of the nations have the opportunity to compete. Over the years, the most successful team has been Egypt. They have won seven titles. The current champions of the competition are Algeria who has now won two titles.
For the team that wins, they can take home a gold-plated cup. This is the third trophy to be designed for the competition and it was made in Italy. The Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers have been playing in 2020. The finals of the competition are due to be held in 2022 and they will take place in Cameroon. A lot of people watching the tournament will be taking part in sports betting in order to try and pick out which team will be the winner.
Teams to Watch Out For
As the current champions, everybody has their eyes on Algeria. Indeed, they have had an unbeaten run of 21 games and their latest win against Zimbabwe puts them in good standing for the finals. Ghana has won all three of their games in the competition so far meaning they are confident of qualifying too.
In particular, Nigeria has not performed at their best in the Africa Cup of Nations competition. They have not won two games, including a draw against Sierra Leone. This included losing a 4-0 lead and then failing to score a couple of days later when they played them again. While they are the fourth-best team, their performances have meant that they have dropped in the world rankings. Specifically, they have dropped three places in the FIFA rankings and they are now in 35th position. But the good news is that Nigeria is at the top of Group L. They have secured eight points from their four matches. While they could not cement their place in the finals of the competition, the odds are in their favour.
