We're down to the last two matches at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations tournament after both semifinals were decided, setting up a compelling Senegal vs. Egypt final.
Host Cameroon suffered the crushing heartbreak of a penalty-kick shootout loss to the Pharaohs and settled for third place which required a stunning comeback. It recovered to draw Burkina Faso 3-3 and this time won the ensuing penalty-kick shootout.
But the final will be held on Sunday, and it will see two of the biggest stars of the tournament go head-to-head as Liverpool's Sadio Mane (Senegal) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt) compete for the prestigious crown.
MORE: AFCON 2022 final group standings
The two Liverpool teammates will meet again with their national teams in March with a spot in the 2022 World Cup on the line. Egypt and Senegal were drawn to face one another in a two-leg playoff series from which only one will emerge with a ticket to Qatar 2022.
Many havespeculatedthat Salah needs this AFCON title for a potential run at the 2022 Ballon d'Or individual honor handed out in the second half of the season. World Cup performance will also likely come into play in the worldwide media vote in 2022.
Among other top teams that qualified for the 2022 AFCON tournament, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast were eliminated in the Round of 16, while defending champion Algeria and traditional power Ghana were ousted in the group stage.
AFCON 2022 matches today
The final match on tap is the one that awards the championship on Sunday.
If there is a draw between Senegal and Egypt after 90 minutes of regulation, 30 minutes of extra time will be played, followed by a penalty-kick shootout.
Today'sAFCON matches: Sunday, Feb. 6
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | TV & Stream |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Feb. 6, 2022 | Senegal vs. Egypt | 2 p.m. | beIN Sports, fuboTV |
MORE:
AFCON 2022 knockout bracket
The AFCON 2022 quarterfinalswereheld over two days on Jan. 29-30 with the semis and finals happening in a span of five days in February. The 3rd Place match was rescheduled to occur 24 hours prior to the final.
3rd Place
| Date | Match | |
| Sat, Feb. 5 | Burkina Faso3, Cameroon 3 (3-5 PKs) | Highlights |
Semifinals
| Date | Match | |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, Feb. 2, 2022 | Burkina Faso 1,Senegal 3 | Highlights |
| Thurs, Feb. 3, 2022 | Egypt 0, Cameroon 0 (3-1 PKs) | Highlights |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Match | |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Jan. 29, 2022 | Gambia 0, Cameroon 2 | Highlights |
| Sat, Jan. 29, 2022 | Burkina Faso 1, Tunisia 0 | Highlights |
| Sun, Jan. 30, 2022 | Egypt 2, Morocco 1 (a.e.t.) | Highlights |
| Sun, Jan. 30, 2022 | Senegal 3, Eq. Guinea 1 | Highlights |
Round of 16 results
| Date | Match | |
|---|---|---|
| Sun, Jan. 23, 2022 | Burkina Faso 1, Gabon 1 (7-6 PKs) | Highlights |
| Sun, Jan. 23, 2022 | Nigeria 0,Tunisia 1 | Highlights |
| Mon, Jan. 24, 2022 | Guinea 0, Gambia 1 | Highlights |
| Mon, Jan. 24, 2022 | Cameroon 2, Comoros 1 | Highlights |
| Tues, Jan. 25, 2022 | Senegal 2,Cape Verde 0 | Highlights |
| Tues, Jan. 25, 2022 | Morocco2,Malawi 1 | Highlights |
| Wed, Jan. 26, 2022 | Ivory Coast 0, Egypt 0 (4-5 PKs) | Highlights |
| Wed, Jan. 26, 2022 | Mail 0, Equatorial Guinea 0 (5-6 PKs) | Highlights |
How to watch AFCON 2022
- Dates: Jan. 9 throughFeb. 6 (52 matches)
- Times: 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m. ET
- TV Channels: beINSports, beINSports XTRA
- Spanish-language TV: beIN Sports en Espanol, beIN Sports XTRA en Espanol
- Streaming: fuboTV , beIN Sports Connect and other platforms
The AFCON tournament is being carried by beIN Sports in the USA and Canada, and coverage will be available in both English and Spanish.
Cable and satellite TV channels beIN Sports and beIN Sports en Espanol will carry matches, as will free channel beIN Sports XTRA. Fans can access all of them on fuboTV , which is available for new users via a free trial .
beIN streams are also available for users of Fanatiz and YouTube TV. And since beIN XTRA is free, it's available on a host of other streaming platforms including Roku and Pluto TV.
MORE: Updated list of AFCON top scorers
AFCON 2022 tournament format
Similar to other continental championships and World Cup tournaments, the Africa Cup of Nations beganwith a group stage, followed by knockout rounds all the way to the final.
- Group stage: Jan. 9-20
- Round of 16: Jan. 23-26
- Quarterfinals: Jan. 29-30
- Semifinals: Feb. 2-3
- Third place: Feb. 6
- Final: Feb. 6
The 24 nations were divided into six groups of four nations each. At the conclusion of round-robin group play — with three points awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss —the top two teams in each group based on points (andtiebreakers, if necessary)advanced to the knockouts. The remaining slots in the Round of 16 were completedbythe four best third-place finishers.
A predeterminedknockoutbracket is being played out all the way through to the final. Ifany knockout matchends in a tie after 90 minutes, the teams will play 30 minutes of extra time. If the draw persists, a penalty-kick shootout will determine the team to move on. The third-place match on Feb. 6 is the only one that would skip extra time and move straight to the shootout in case of a draw.
For the first time in the competition's history, all 52 matches featured the use of a Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
MORE: Ranking the top 10 players at AFCON
Who will win AFCON 2022?
Judging by BetMGM's pre-tournament odds, Senegal-Algeria was the projected repeat final, but it couldn't happen after Algeria's group-stage elimination.
Senegal had the lowest odds of the bunch going into AFCON 2022, and it was the presumed tournament favorite. The oddsmakers were right and the Lions of Teranga made it all the way to the final, where they are chasing their first AFCON title.
Egypt will take on Senegal in the championship and it had the fourth best odds to win it all before the tournament started.
| Nation | BetMGM Pre-Tournament Odds |
|---|---|
| Senegal | +350 (from +550) |
| Algeria | +450 (from +600) |
| Ivory Coast | +750 (unchanged) |
| Egypt | +800 (from +600) |
| Cameroon | +850 (from +800) |
| Morocco | +850 (from +900) |
| Nigeria | +1000 (from +800) |
| Mali | +1600 (from +2200) |
| Ghana | +1800 (from +1400) |
| Tunisia | +2200 (from +1600) |
