Real actions are about to begin. There have been quite some unexpected results in the group stage, but the excitement in the competition hasn't been there yet. Hopefully, it will begin today. Only six groups were available, so the first two in each group qualified automatically. But to proceed into the round of sixteen, four more teams were added - those that had the best result in the third place. VAR will be used in this stage for the first time. This and more are what we are expecting in this competition. Before we proceed into the fixtures, let's take a stroll back to what happened in the group stage.
The hosting nation, Egypt topped group A with 9 points. They won all their matches and are looking like they will lift the trophy for the sixth time. Uganda finished second with 4 points, while DR Congo wasn't left out; they qualified as best loser. Nigeria didn't top group B as expected. Madagascar, a team appearing for the first time topped the group with 7 points, while Nigeria followed suit with 6 points. Guinea also qualified in this group with 4 points.
Algeria came first in group C with 9 points - that's another team that won all matches. Senegal, another great team was behind with 6 points. The third place wasn't picked in this group, rather it was picked in Group D. South Africa qualified there with 3 points, and Ivory Coast finished with 6 points. Morroco is another team that won all matches, they topped group D with 9 points.
All the teams in group E couldn't handle Mali, they topped the group with 7 points, and Tunisia got just 3 points. No other team was chosen here. Ghana and Cameroon got the same point in group F, but Ghana came first. Benin finished with 3 points, just two points behind them and finished as best loser.
The round of sixteen fixtures is here already. Get ready for the excitement; eight teams will be leaving the tournament, leaving the other eight to proceed to the next round. Check the image below for the fixtures.
Who are you counting on winning? Let me know in the comment section below.