Africa Cup of Nations 2012 Groups and Schedule

The eyes of the soccer world shift to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon on January 21st for the kick off of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

With seven-time and defending champions Egypt having failed to qualify for the tournament along with perennial contenders Nigeria and Cameroon, the Ivory Coast and Ghana are regarded are favorites to claim the coveted title and a spot at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. However, the Cup of Nations has been known for parity in recent years with no easy victories assured for any team.

This year’s Africa Cup of Nations will feature a host of well-known stars such as Didier Drogba and Salamon Kalou (Ivory Coast and Chelsea FC), Demba Ba (Senegal and Newcastle United) and Marouane Chamakh (Morocco and Arsenal FC).

Where to Watch Online and on TV
Select matches will be shown on Al Jazeera Sports USA in the United States. All matches will be available on British Eurosport in the UK. Finally, tournamnent sponsor Orange has stated that it will show eight match for free online on its CAN website.  LiveSoccerTV.com has additional listings.

Group A
Equatorial Guinea — Nzalang Nacional
Libya — The Greens
Senegal — Teranga Lions
Zambia — Chipolopolo

Group B
Ivory Coast — The Elephants
Sudan — Nile Crocodiles
Burkina Faso — Les Etalons
Angola — Palancas Negras

Group C
Gabon — Les Panthères
Niger — Menas
Morocco — Lions of the Atlas
Tunisia — Les Aigles de Carthage

Group D
Ghana — The Black Stars
Botswana — Ezimbizi
Mali — Les Aigles
Guinea — Syli National

Group A
1/21/12: Equatorial Guinea v Libya, Bata, 1:30 ET
1/21/12: Senegal v Zambia, Bata, 4:00 ET
1/25/12: Libya v Zambia, Bata, 11:00 ET
1/25/12: Equatorial Guinea v Senegal, Bata , 14:00 ET
1/29/12: Equatorial Guinea v Zambia, Malabo, 13:00 ET
1/29/12: Libya v Senegal, Bata , 13:00 ET

Group B
1/22/12: Ivory Coast v Sudan, Malabo,  11:00 ET
1/22/12: Burkina Faso v Angola, Malabo , 14:00 ET
1/26/12: Sudan v Angola, Malabo, 11:00 ET
1/26/12: Ivory Coast v Burkina Faso, Malabo , 14:00 ET
1/30/12: Sudan v Burkina Faso, Bata,  13:00 ET
1/30/12: Ivory Coast v Angola, Malabo , 13:00 ET

Group C
1/23/12: Gabon v Niger, Libreville,  11:00 ET
1/23/12: Morocco v Tunisia, Libreville , 14:00 ET
1/27/12: Niger v Tunisia, Libreville ,  11:00 ET
1/27/12: Gabon v Morocco, Libreville , 14:00 ET
1/31/12: Gabon v Tunisia, Franceville , 13:00 ET
1/31/12: Niger v Morocco, Libreville , 13:00 ET

Group D
1/24/12: Ghana v Botswana, Franceville ,  11:00 ET
1/24/12: Mali v Guinea, Franceville, 14:00 ET
1/28/12: Botswana v Guinea, Franceville ,  11:00 ET
1/28/12: Ghana v Mali, Franceville , 14:00 ET
2/01/12: Botswana v Mali, Libreville , 13:00 ET
2/01/12: Ghana v Guinea, Franceville , 13:00 ET

Quarter Finals
02/04/12: 1st A v 2nd B, Bata, 11:00 ET
02/04/12: 1st B v 2nd A, Malabo, 14:00 ET
02/05/12: 1st C v 2nd D, Libreville, 11:00 ET
02/05/12: 1st D v 2nd C, Franceville, 14:00 ET

Semi Finals
02/08/12: QF1 winner v QF4 winner, Bata, 11:00 ET
02/08/12: QF3 winner v QF2 winner, Libreville, 14:00 ET

Third Place
02/11/12, Malabo, 14:00 ET

Final
02/12/2012, Libreville, 14:00 ET