AFCON 2019- 14 Facts you might be interested in

  1. Cameroon was supposed to be actual hosts of AFCON 2019 but was replaced by Egypt in January 2019 because of the Threat of Insurgency and Anglophone Crisis.
  2. AFCON 2019 was initially scheduled for 15 June – 13 July but was later moved to 21 June – 19 July because of Ramadan schedule.
  3. Unlike other continental tournaments, AFCON is held every 2 years and all 51 teams have to take part in qualifying. If they miss any match they have to pay a fine of 5000USD.
  4. During qualification, if there is any security concern the matches can be held in the Third nation which is neither home nor away.
  5. Ambassadors of this years AFCON are Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, Mahmoud El-Khatib,  Yaya Toure, Rabah Madjer, Nwankwo Kanu, and El-Hadji Diouf.
  6. The tournament is also called Total 2019 Africa Cup of Nations due to sponsorship reasons.
  7. The winner of this year tournament wins US$4.5 million, 2nd placed team gets US$2.5 million.
  8. Child “Tut” which is inspired by the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun is the Mascot of this year’s tournament.
  9. Mauritania, Madagascar, and Burundi are going to make their debut at AFCON finals this season.
  10. Six stadiums Cairo International Stadium, 30 June Stadium, Al Salam Stadium, Alexandria Stadium, Suez Stadium, and Ismailia Stadium will be host stadiums for AFCON 2019.
  11. The 24 Teams are divided into 6 groups, along with teams that finish in first two spots 4 third-placed teams with the best record go through to knockout games.
  12. Egypt will be the hosts of the tournament for a record fifth time having staged the tournament in 1959, 1974, 1986, 2006, and now in 2019.
  13. Egypt is a favorite to win this time and has already won the tournament 7 times.
  14. The first edition of the tournament had only three participants; Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia.