Two more African heavyweights went head-to-head on the third matchday of AFCON 2022 as Nigeria beat Egypt and its superstar Mohamed Salah 1-0 in the group-stage opener for both nations. A goal by Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho proved the difference.
The two powerhouses are considered among the pre-tournament contenders for the Africa Cup of Nations title, though Senegal and defending champion Algeria were the overwhelming favorites in the lead-up.
Algeria made its 2022 tournament debut earlier Tuesday, and while the Fennec Foxes ripped off 19 shots and held 66 percent possession, they were surprisingly held scoreless by Sierra Leone which pulled off a big result that muddies the waters in Group E.
MORE:AFCON 2022 updated group standings
Among the other teams expected to make deep runs, Morocco beat Ghana on a late goal by Sofiane Boufal, Senegal won courtesy of a stoppage-time penalty kick conversion by Liverpool star Sadio Mane, and host nation Cameroon emerged with a 2-1 come-from-behind win thanks to two penalty kicks.
How to watch AFCON 2022
- Dates: Jan. 9 through Feb. 6 (52 matches)
- Times: 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m. ET
- TV Channels: beIN Sports, beIN Sports XTRA
- Spanish-language TV: beIN Sports en Espanol, beIN Sports XTRA en Espanol
- Streaming: fuboTV, beIN Sports Connect and other platforms
The AFCON tournament will be 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: Latest AFCON group standings, schedule & highlights
AFCON 2022 matches today
Two more group — Group D and Group E — begin play on Tuesday. Defending champion Algeria opened against Sierra Leone with a draw in the first Group E match.
MORE: Story behind team nicknames at AFCON
But Nigeria’s win over Egypt will make the headlines at AFCON on Tuesday. The other Group D sides Sudan and Guinea-Bissau will also be seeking critical points as they chase the two favorites. With Egypt losing its game, it takes on even greater importance.
Today’s AFCON schedule: Tuesday, Jan. 11
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Algeria 0, Sierra Leone 0 (Group E) |
Highlights | ||
| Nigeria 1, Egypt 0 (Group D) |
|||
| Sudan vs. Guinea-Bissau (Group D) |
2 p.m. | beIN Sports beIN Sports Espanol |
fuboTV |
AFCON upcoming schedule: Wednesday, Jan. 12
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Tunisia vs. Mali (Group F) |
8 a.m. | beIN Sports beIN Sports Espanol |
fuboTV |
| Mauritania vs. Gambia (Group F) |
11 a.m. | beIN Sports beIN Sports Espanol |
fuboTV |
| Equ. Guinea vs. Ivory Coast (Group E) |
2 p.m. | beIN Sports beIN Sports Espanol |
fuboTV |
AFCON results: Monday, Jan. 10
There were four 1-0 results in Monday’s slate with Senegal, Morocco, Guinea, and Gabon all claiming narrow victories.
MORE: Updated AFCON 2022 schedule, results & highlights
AFCON 2022 tournament format
Similar to other continental championships and World Cup tournaments, the Africa Cup of Nations begins with 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 are 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 (and tiebreakers, if necessary) advance to the knockouts. The remaining slots in the Round of 16 will be filled out by the four best third-place finishers.
A predetermined knockout bracket will be played out all the way through to the final. If any knockout match ends 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 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 will feature 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 odds, we could be in for another Senegal-Algeria final. The nations were given the shortest odds to win it all and their odds only shortened in the week before the AFCON kickoff. Senegal is given a slight edge over defending champion Algeria.
It’s not a surprise to see some of the other traditional African powers on the list of 10 nations most likely to win it, but based on the odds movement it looks as if bettors have been fading Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana and Tunisia in the lead-up.
| Nation | BetMGM 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) |