Africa Cup of Nations postponed until 2022

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday confirmed that the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) has been postponed by 12 months.

The 33rd edition of the tournament was slated to begin from January 9, 2021, but it has now been pushed back to January 2022 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic across the continent.

"Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021 has been scheduled for January 2022. The date for the final tournament and the remaining matches of the qualifiers will be communicated in due course," the CAF said in an official statement.

Algeria is the reigning African champions as they defeated Senegal 1-0 in the 2019 finals at Cairo.

The CAF has also confirmed that the 2020 African Nations Championship--the biennial tournament for home-based players -- will be played next year, having originally been scheduled for April 2020.

Earlier this year, the UEFA had also postponed the Euro Cup 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The tournament will now be played in 2021.

For women's football across Africa, the 2020 African Women's Cup of Nations has been cancelled, while the CAF has announced the inauguration of a new women's Champions League, which will begin in 2021.

( With inputs from ANI )