The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations is upon us, with 24 teams competing for glory in Egypt.
Cameroon return as defending AFCON champions, having beaten Egypt 2-1 in the 2017 final.
The Indomitable Lions are out to defend their crown, but will face renewed pressure from hosts Egypt, who boasting Mohamed Salah still flying high after his Champions League triumph with Liverpool.
However, Salah's Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane is also in with a shout of glory with Senegal heavily backed to lift the trophy.
Here's what you need to know for the upcoming drama...
Where is it being held?
Egypt will stage the competition from June 21 until July 19. Six venues across four cities will be used, with three stadia in Cairo and one each in Alexandria, Suez and Ismailia.
The 74,100-capacity Cairo International Stadium will host the final and the opening match. Cameroon were initially selected as hosts but were stripped of the responsibility in November by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) because "a number of compliance conditions" had not been met.
The start of the tournament was also pushed back six days to allow players to rest after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Teams
Egypt, Madagascar, Tunisia, Senegal, Morocco, Nigeria, Uganda, Mali, Guinea, Algeria, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Ghana, Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, Zimbabwe, DR Congo, Benin, Tanzania, South Africa
Which Premier League stars are involved?
Liverpool trio Salah (Egypt), Mane (Senegal), and Naby Keita (Guinea) will be among the Premier League talent on display.
Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha and Tottenham full-back Serge Aurier have been included in Ivory Coast's squad, while Manchester City title-winner Riyad Mahrez is Algeria's star man.
Other top-flight players involved include Arsenal's Alex Iwobi (Nigeria), Spurs midfielder Victor Wanyama (Kenya), and Everton's Idrissa Gueye (Senegal).
What is the format?
Since the last competition in 2017, the biennial tournament has been expanded from 16 teams to 24. It will follow a similar format to Euro 2016. Countries have been drawn into six groups of four and will face each group opponent once.
The top two teams are guaranteed places in the knockout stages, while the four best third-place teams will also progress. The tournament will be played in Europe's summer for the first time.
It has previously been held in January and February, causing disputes with European clubs who lose players during the season.
Groups
The top two teams from each group will go through to the knockout stages, along with the top four third-placed teams.
Group A
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Uganda | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Egypt | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Zimbabwe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 4 | DR Congo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
Group B
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Nigeria | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Guinea | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Madagascar | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Burundi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
Group C
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Algeria | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Senegal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Kenya | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
| 4 | Tanzania | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
Group D
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Ivory Coast | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Morocco | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Namibia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 4 | South Africa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
Group E
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Mali | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | Angola | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Tunisia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Mauritania | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 0 |
Group F
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Cameroon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Ghana | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Benin | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Guinea-Bissau | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
Fixture schedule and results
Group stages: June 21-July 2
June 21: Egypt 1-0 Zimbabwe
June 22: DR Congo 0-2 Uganda, Nigeria 1-0 Burundi, Guinea 2-2 Madagascar
June 23: Morocco 1-0 Namibia, Senegal 2-0 Tanzania, Algeria 2-0 Kenya
June 24: Ivory Coast 1-0 South Africa, Tunisia 1-1 Angola, Mali 4-1 Mauritania
June 25: Cameroon 2-0 Guinea-Bissau, Ghana 2-2 Benin
June 26: Nigeria vs Guinea, Uganda vs Zimbabwe, Egypt vs DR Congo
June 27: Madagascar vs Burundi, Senegal vs Algeria, Kenya vs Tanzania
June 28: Tunisia vs Mali, Morocco vs Ivory Coast, South Africa vs Namibia
June 29: Mauritania vs Angola, Cameroon vs Ghana, Benin vs Guinea-Bissau
June 30: Burundi vs Guinea, Madagascar vs Nigeria, Uganda vs Egypt, Zimbabwe vs DR Congo
July 1: South Africa vs Morocco, Namibia vs Ivory Coast, Tanzania vs Algeria, Kenya vs Senegal
July 2: Benin vs Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau vs Ghana, Angola vs Mali, Mauritania vs Tunisia
July 5-8: Round of 16
July 10-11: Quarter-finals
July 14: Semi-finals
July 17: Third-place play-off
July 19: Final
UK TV and live stream
Eurosport has exclusive rights to the tournament on Eurosport 1 and 2.
To watch the matches online, the Eurosport Player is available for £9.99 a month. Alternatively, Amazon Prime subscribers can access Eurosport channels for £6.999 a month.
Predictions
Who are the favourites?
Seven-time winners Egypt, the competition's most successful team, are being heavily backed to reclaim the trophy they last lifted in 2010.
They have the advantage of home soil plus the talent of African player of the year Salah and will be keen to make amends for last summer's poor World Cup display.
Senegal, who have never won the tournament, are similarly being tipped for success, while much is expected of Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria and Ivory Coast. Algeria, holders Cameroon, and Tunisia are also in with a shout.
Betting odds via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
To reach the final
- Senegal: 21/10
- Egypt: 9/4
- Ghana: 3/1
- Nigeria: 10/3
- Morocco: 7/2
- Ivory Coast: 9/2
- Cameroon: 6/1
- Algeria: 6/1
- South Africa: 15/2
- Tunisia: 8/1
- DR Congo: 8/1
- Mali: 17/2
- Zimbabwe: 35/1
Player of the tournament
- Mohamed Salah: 11/2
- Sadio Mane: 13/2
- Hakim Ziyech: 11/1
- Kalidou Koulibaly: 12/1
- Riyad Mahrez: 16/1
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
Additional reporting by the Press Association.
