Africa Cup '19 of Nations kicks off Friday

By Rageb Shawqi CAIRO, June 20 (KUNA) -- The 32nd edition of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations will be held on Friday with the participation of 24 teams, some "for the first time" in its history through six groups.
"Egypt 2019" championship, which will last until July 19, will bring together a number of strong teams such as Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon, and Senegal.
Confederation of African Football (CAF) sought to increase the number of teams participating in the tournament from 16 to 24 teams in order to represent as many African teams as possible.
The tournament, which hosted by Egypt for the fifth time in its history, will be held on six stadiums in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, and Ismailia.
The draw for the African Nations Cup, which took place on April 12, resulted in six groups, Group A includes the hosting country Egypt alongside with DR Congo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Group B, Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar and Burundi. Group C, Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Group D included Morocco, Cote d'Ivoire, South Africa, and Namibia. Group E, Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, and Angola, while Group F included Ghana, Cameroon, Benin, and Guinea Bissau.
The Organizing Committee of the 2019 African Cup of Nations revealed the tournament Mascot; The child "Tut" which is inspired by the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
The Egyptian Football Association launched a modern system to issue the fan cards through the techniques and applications of electronic booking so that they can get tickets and prevent selling them in Black markets.
Egypt has already hosted four previous editions of the African Cup of Nations, which is the largest and most important African continent in 1959, 1974, 1986 and 2006 as Egypt is the most crowned with seven tournaments, including three times at home.
The final edition of the African Championship was held in Gabon in 2017, were Cameroon won the title and Egypt runner-up. (end) rg.ss