African Cup of Nations Group Table Summary

 

African cup of Nations Group Table Summary

Basics

• The Groups: In the AFCON group stage, 24 teams are divided into six groups (A, B, C, D, E, F) of four teams each.
• Round-Robin Format: Each team plays the other three teams in its group once.

How Points Determine the Group Table

• Points System: Teams earn points based on their match results:

  • Win: 3 points
  • Draw: 1 point
  • Loss: 0 points

• Ranking: Teams within each group are ranked highest to lowest based on the total points earned.

Tiebreakers

If two or more teams within a group are tied on points, the following tiebreakers are used to determine positions:

1. Head-to-Head Results: Results from direct matches between the tied teams. The team with more points in their head-to-head matches ranks higher.
2. Goal Difference: The overall difference between goals scored and goals allowed in all group matches.
3. Goals Scored: The total number of goals scored in all group matches.
4. Fair Play Points: A system of deductions for yellow and red cards (fair play conduct).
5. Drawing of Lots: A random draw used as a last resort if teams are still tied.

Qualification for the Knockout Stage

• Top Two: The top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 16 (knockout stage).
• Best Third-Place Teams: The four best-performing third-place teams from the six groups also advance to the Round of 16. Ranking of the third-placed teams is determined by the same criteria used to rank the teams within the groups.

Where to Find the AFCON Group Tables

You can usually find updated AFCON group tables on these sports websites:

• CAF (Confederation of African Football): https://www.cafonline.com/