With the group stage of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in the books, only 16 of the original 24 teams remain, with eight progressing.
The group stage winners and runners-up all qualified for the knockout stage, while the four best third-placed teams also advanced to the round of 16.
It’s amazing, the power of Africa Ghana and the defending champion Algeria were eliminated in the group stage. On the other hand, Cape Verde progressed to the knockout stages for the second time in the nation’s history, following a 2013 performance in reaching the quarterfinals.
Small Comoros also went on to appear for the first time at AFCON. This was the last team to pass with third place, with Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau missing out. Here’s how the third-place finishers rank:
| 3rd place team | Group | PTS | GP | W | OFFER | EASY | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Cape Verde-X | ONE | 4 | 3 | first | first | first | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2. Malawi-X | REMOVE | 4 | 3 | first | first | first | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 3. Tunisia-X | F | 3 | 3 | first | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 |
| 4. Comoros-X | OLD | 3 | 3 | first | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | -2 |
| 5. Sierra Leone-E | E | 2 | 3 | 0 | first | 2 | 2 | 3 | -first |
| 6. Guinea-Bissau-E | EASY | first | 3 | 0 | 2 | first | 0 | 3 | -3 |
X = Qualify for Round 16 | E = Removed
Server Cameroon, on their way to winning Group A, scored the most goals in the group stage with seven, while Senegal finished at the top of Group B without conceding a single goal. Nigeria finished with the most points, nine nine after winning all three games with a +5 goal difference, the best league record to date.
Here’s the full knockout round schedule, including potential quarter-finals.
THAN: Top scorer AFCON 2022
AFCON 2022 knockout round
Round 16
| Day | Competition | Time (ET) | TV & Streams |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 23, 2022 | Burkina Faso vs. Gabon | 11 a.m | beIN XTRA & fuboTV |
| January 23, 2022 | Nigeria vs. Tunisia | 2 p.m | beIN XTRA & fuboTV |
| January 24, 2022 | Guinea vs. Gambia | 11 a.m | be in sports & fuboTV |
| January 24, 2022 | Cameroon vs. Comoros | 2 p.m | be in sports & fuboTV |
| January 25, 2022 | Senegal vs. Cape Verde | 11 a.m | be in sports & fuboTV |
| January 25, 2022 | Morocco vs. Malawi | 2 p.m | be in sports & fuboTV |
| January 26, 2022 | Ivory Coast vs. Egypt | 11 a.m | be in sports & fuboTV |
| January 26, 2022 | Mail vs. Equatorial Guinea | 2 p.m | be in sports & fuboTV |
Quarterfinals
| Day | Competition | Time (ET) | TV & Streams |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 29, 2022 | QF1: Guinea / Gambia vs Cameroon / Comoros | 11 a.m | TBA |
| January 29, 2022 | QF2: Burkina Faso / Gabon vs Nigeria / Tunisia | 2 p.m | TBA |
| January 30, 2022 | QF3: Ivory Coast / Egypt vs Morocco / Malawi | 11 a.m | TBA |
| January 30, 2022 | QF4: Senegal / Cape Verde vs Mali / Eq. Guinea | 2 p.m | TBA |
Semifinal
| Day | Competition | Time (ET) | TV & Streams |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2, 2022 | QF2 Winner vs QF4 Winner | 2 p.m | TBA |
| February 3, 2022 | QF3 Winner vs QF1 Winner | 2 p.m | TBA |
3rd place
| Day | Competition | Time (ET) | TV & Streams |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 6, 2022 | SF1 loser vs SF2 loser | 11 a.m | TBA |
Final match
| Day | Competition | Time (ET) | TV & Streams |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 6, 2022 | SF1 Winner vs SF2 Winner | 2 p.m | TBA |
