AFCON 2019 Draw: What you need to know

The 32nd edition of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be held in Egypt.

The tournament brings together the best 24 teams to compete for the title. The tournament kicks off on June 21 - July 19.

It is the first time the prestigious African football tournament has been expanded to 24 teams, formerly 16. 

Date, time and venue 

The draw will take place on 12 April 2019, on a historic place facing the Sphinx and the Pyramids, in Cairo, Egypt. The time for the draw is 6:00 pm.

Personalities to grace the occasion

A host of personalities will be in Cairo for the 2019 AFCON draw on Friday, April 12. They include FIFA president Gianni Infantino and CAF boss Ahmad Ahmad. 

Among African football legend to attend the draw include Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o and Ivorian Coast star Didier Drogba

Format

Teams have been separated into four seeding pots based on CAF national team rankings.

At the finals of the competition, 24 teams will be drawn into six groups of four teams each. The teams in each group will then play in a single round robin format, and after the group stage, the top two teams and the four best third teams will advance to the round of 16.

The winners will advance to the quarter-finals stage, and from then on, progress to the semi-finals. The semi-final losers will contest a third-place match, while semi-final winners will advance to the final.

 

Qualfied and seeded teams

Teams in Pot 1 have been seeded for the draw

Read also: 

All the 24 teams at AFCON 2019

AFCON 2019: 10 things you should know