The 2022 Africa Cup of Nations is nearly here, and fans are anticipating one of the best tournaments yet. After being moved twice due to unfavourable weather and health conditions, the 9th January start date is now set in stone. Cameroon are the confirmed hosts of the tournament, its 33rd edition, with at least six stadiums to be used across 5 cities.
This will be just the second time that the competition will feature 24 teams, which have been separated into 6 groups of 4. The top two teams in each group will automatically qualify for the last 16, as well as the four best third placed teams, so with so much at stake, excitement is sure to be high from the very first whistle.
Coverage
In Ghana fans will be able to watch all of the Black Stars’ matches on Discovery+. For fans in the UK, complete TV coverage for the tournament will be provided by Sky Sports, who have announced that they will be broadcasting all 52 matches, from the group stages to the final. The BBC have also confirmed that they will be showing 10 live games, including the semi-finals and final. It will be broadcast in the US by beIN Sports, while fans in the Balkans Region, which includes Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia will be able to watch games via Sportklub, one of the leading broadcasters in this area.
Eurosport is also expected to provide live broadcasts and streams via their website, although they are yet to confirm this. As well as extensive TV and online coverage, the 2022 African Cup of Nations will be extensively covered by sportsbooks with many offering free bets, as well as live streams and match updates. Sites like oddschecker provide extensive lists of such pages so there are plenty of options for Ghana fans who want to follow games.
Stadiums
The six chosen stadiums for the Tournament are Japoma Stadium, Limbe Stadium, Limbe, Kouekong Stadium, Bafoussam, Roumde Adija Stadium, Garoua and Olembe Stadium and Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo.
Ghana’s first two group stage matches, against Morocco and Gabon, will both be held in the city of Yaoundé at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo. This multi-purpose stadium seats over 40,000 spectators and is famous for being the home ground of the Cameroon national team. Despite the fact it features an athletics track around the pitch, the stadium is known for the vibrant atmosphere created by supporters.
The Black Star’s final group stage match against Comoros will be held at Roumdé Adjia Stadium in the port city Garoua. The 30,000 was built in 1978, but has recently undergone a sizeable renovation, which means fans will get to experience the new facilities for the first time during the tournament.
The newly built Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé will be the tournaments centre piece, having been confirmed as the venue of the opening ceremony and the final. It boasts a new, latest generation natural grass pitch as well as a shopping complex, luxury hotel and Olympic swimming pool. It seats 60,000 spectators, making it the largest capacity stadium in the tournament.
Japoma Stadium in Douala is expected to be used for group games and two quarterfinals. It is a 50,000-seater with an athletics track around it that will be used for a range of sports after its AFCON inauguration. It also has basketball, handball, volleyball and tennis courts.
Kouekong Stadium in Bafoussam is a 20,000-seater football and athletics stadium that will be used for some group stage matches. It was opened in 2016 and has previously been used to host matches during the 2016 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Limbe stadium is arguably the most intriguing stadiums in the tournament due to the fact that it is one of the only stadiums in the world built on a hill. Thanks to this, it boasts amazing views of both the mountains and sea, making it an inspiring venue for players and spectators. It holds 20,000 fans and was also used as part of the 2016 Women’s AFCON.
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