On June 25th, the Gambian “Scorpions” would not know their group stage adversaries as initially scheduled by the Yaounde CAN local organizing committee. The draw for the next Total Africa Cup of Nations “Cameroon 2021” has been postponed till further notice according to CAF, the umbrella body for African football, which cited reasons related to Covid-19.
In a press release signed by the Communication Department of CAF and made public Sunday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the postponement of the draw for the next CAN.
“At the African Football Confederation request, the Local Organizing Committee (COCAN21) has agreed to postpone the draw for the final phase of the 2021 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, initially scheduled for June 25th, 2021, for logistical reasons related to the Covid-19 pandemic. A new date will be announced in due course,” the release states.
CAF says it “continues to work with its partners, the Cameroonian government, and the Local Organizing Committee to make the Cameroon 2021 Africa Cup of Nations a successful event and a grand celebration of African football“.
The last country to participate in the CAN Cameroon shall be Sierra Leone or Benin on June 14th (the official date has not yet been confirmed), following the controversial postponement of their encounter initially scheduled for March. Thus, although a draw would be enough for the Squirrels to qualify, they will still have to be wary of Sierra Leone playing at home.
The competition begins on January 9th and ends on February 6th. The list of 23 already qualified:
Cameroon, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Malawi, Mauritania, Comoros Islands.