Khaberni - The group stage competitions of the Africa Cup of Nations currently being held in Morocco have concluded, after a first stage that saw strong competition and complex calculations to the last rounds.
The current edition of the championship is being held with the participation of 24 teams, and it is the fourth time this format is adopted, where teams are distributed into six groups, each group comprising four teams. The top two teams in each group qualify to the round of 16, along with the best four teams that finish third in their groups.
The group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations saw notable performances from the teams of Nigeria and Algeria, who were the only ones capable of winning all their three matches, achieving a perfect score.
On the other hand, Tanzania snatched a qualifying spot to the round of sixteen as the best third-placed team after collecting only two points, a record low in the history of the tournament for a team reaching this stage. Mozambique also made their historic presence in the round of 16 for the first time during their sixth participation in the championship, after their notable win over Gabon in an unprecedented achievement.
The teams qualified to the round of 16 are as follows:
Group A: Morocco and Mali.
Group B: Egypt and South Africa.
Group C: Nigeria, Tunisia, and Tanzania.
Group D: Senegal, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Benin.
Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, and Sudan.
Group F: Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Mozambique.
Following the completion of the lineup of qualifiers, the matchups of the round of 16 have been set, outlining the path towards the final match, where the matches are divided into two parallel paths until the final.
Round of 16 matches in the Africa Cup of Nations are as follows:
Path One
Saturday January 3: Mali--:--Tunisia
Saturday January 3: Senegal--:--Sudan
Monday January 5: Egypt--:--Benin
Tuesday January 6: Ivory Coast--:--Burkina Faso
Path Two
Sunday January 4: South Africa--:--Cameroon
Sunday January 4: Morocco--:--Tanzania
Monday January 5: Nigeria--:--Mozambique
Tuesday January 6: Algeria--:--Democratic Republic of the Congo
