Africa Cup of Nations: Men’s competition moved to 2022, women’s tournament cancelled
The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations has been postponed to January 2022 by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, while the women’s version of the tournament has been cancelled.
The men’s tournament had been set to take place in January next year.
Elsewhere, the African Nations Championship (Chan), which should have been played in April, will now take place in January 2021.
Cameroon is to host both competitions.
“Health is our number one priority. We must remain vigilant,” Caf president Ahmad Ahmad said in a news conference announcing the move.
The decision means the biannual tournament will now be in the same year as the 2022 World Cup – something that last happened in 2010.
It was moved to odd-numbered years in 2013 – that year’s tournament coming only a year after the previous one – to avoid such clashes, which risked disadvantaging African teams at the World Cup by giving them such an extended season of competition.
Traditionally held in January, the most recent Africa Cup of Nations, in 2019, was moved to the summer in an effort to avoid clashing with the major European league competitions.
Read more at: BBC Sport
