2021 Africa Cup of Nations
| Coupe d'Afrique des Nations 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country |
 Ivory Coast |
| Dates | early 2021 (expected) |
| Teams | 16 (expected) (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | TBA (in TBA host cities) |
The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (also referred to as AFCON 2021 or CAN 2021) is scheduled to be the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's football championship of Africa organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The tournament is scheduled to be hosted by Ivory Coast.[1] The competition is likely to be held in January 2021. The champion will qualify for the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Bids
After the CAF Executive Committee meeting on 24 January 2014, it was announced that there were three official candidates for the 2021 edition:[2]
| Nation | Last hosted |
|---|---|
 Algeria | 1990 |
 Guinea | N/A |
| Ivory Coast | 1984 |
This list was different from the list of the host nation bids for both the 2019 and 2021 edition of the Cup of Nations as announced by CAF in November 2013, with Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Zambia also on the original list.[3] All three official candidates also bid for hosting the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
The decision of the host country was postponed from early 2014 to grant each bidding country adequate time to receive the inspection delegation.[2] After the final vote at the CAF Executive Committee meeting, on 20 September 2014, the CAF announced the hosts for the 2019, 2021 and 2023 AFCON tournaments: 2019 to Cameroon, 2021 to Ivory Coast, and 2023 to Guinea.[4]
Qualification
Qualified teams
The following teams qualified for the tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivory Coast | Hosts | 20 September 2014 | 21 (1965, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017) (may qualify in 2019) |
- 1 Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.
Venues
| Abidjan | Bouaké | Korhogo | San Pédro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stade National de la Côte d’Ivoire New stadium |
Stade Bouaké To be renovated |
New stadium | New stadium | |
| Capacity: 60,000 | Capacity: 35,000 | Capacity: 20,000 | Capacity: 20,000 | |
 |
|
|
References
- ↑ "CAMEROON TO HOST 2019, COTE D'IVOIRE FOR 2021, GUINEA 2023". Confédération Africaine de Football. 20 September 2014.
- 1 2 "Decisions made by the CAF Executive Committee, convened January 24th 2014" (PDF). Cafonline.com. 26 January 2014.
- ↑ "Six nations submit bids for 2019 & 2021 Africa Cup of Nations". Goal.com. 27 November 2013.
- ↑ "Nations Cup: 2019, 2012 and shock 2023 hosts unveiled by Caf". BBC Sport. 20 September 2014.