CAF delays 2019 AFCON launch date

CAIRO – 28 January 2019: The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Sunday that the 2019 African Cup of Nations in Egypt will start on June 21, according to Egyptian Football Association Vice President, Ahmed Shobeir.

The competition was scheduled to start on June 14 but a number of North African countries asked CAF to delay the competition for a week.

The CAF Executive Committee announced on Tuesday, January 8, that Egypt will host the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) matches.
Egypt won the rights to host the tournament after being selected over South Africa.
The 2019 African Cup of Nations was initially scheduled to be hosted by Cameroon. However, Cameroon was stripped of hosting the tournament for serious delays in preparations.

Egypt is the most successful nation in the history of the competition as Egypt has won a record of seven titles including three in a row between 2006 and 2010.
Egypt hosted four African Cup of Nations tournaments in 1959, 1974, 1986 and 2006 and they failed to achieve the title only in 1974.