The draw for next year’s tournament was initially scheduled to be held in the host country, Cameroon on June 25.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has announced the postponement of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations draw due to ‘logistical relations related to the coronavirus’.
Following the conclusion of the qualification round in March with 24 countries confirmed for next year’s tournament in Cameroon, the group stage draw was first planned for June 25 in the host country.
However, qualified teams will now have to wait for a new date to know their fate in the competition after the Cameroon Local Organising Committee accepted Caf’s request for rescheduling.
“At the request of Caf, the Cameroon Local Organizing Committee (LOC) has agreed to postpone the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021 final draw for logistical reasons related to the Covid-19 pandemic,” the statement read on Caf’s website.
“The draw was initially scheduled for 25 June 2021 and a new date will be announced in due course.
“Caf continues to work together with its partners, the Cameroon government and the LOC with the objective of making the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021 a successful event and a great celebration of African football.”
The 2022 Africa Cup of Nations will begin from January 9 to February 6 with six stadiums set to host the games across five cities in Cameroon.
The biennial competition has been moved two times before Caf decided to hold it in January 2022 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Cameroon were initially earmarked to host the competition between June and July in 2021 but it was later changed to the January/February slot two years ago because of climatic conditions.
Just last month, the African football governing body again postponed the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers from this month to September due to ‘challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic’.
Algeria are the reigning African champions after they defeated Senegal 1-0 in the 2019 Afcon final in Egypt.
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