The continental tournament is already at its knockout stage.
The African Cup of Nations is well and truly underway in Cameroon, with the final 16 teams left competing for the illustrious crown.
After nearly a fortnight of action, the group stage has come to its conclusion, with a number of high-profile countries already exiting the competition.
Holders Algeria and a well-regarded Ghana have both crashed out after disastrous campaigns, whereas Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Mali, and Gambia all made it through their respective groups without losing a match.
But as we approach the business end of proceedings, many Premier League fans will be wondering how they can follow the remaining fixtures, and when some of their favourite players will be returning to domestic action.
We’ve gathered all the information you need to know below…
When are the knockout rounds for AFCON 2022?
This year’s round of 16 gets underway on Sunday January 23rd, and will feature two matches a day until Wednesday January 26th.
From there, the quarter-finals will take place on Saturday January 29th and Sunday January 30th, with the two semi-finals played on Wednesday February 2nd and Thursday February 3rd.
When is the final of AFCON 2022?
This year’s AFCON final will take place on Sunday February 6th, with the third-place play-off being contested earlier in the day.
What time does the final of AFCON 2022 kick off?
The action will get underway at 7pm GMT.
When will Premier League players return from AFCON?
Ultimately, that will depend on when their respective nations are eliminated from the tournament.
As an example, Ghana’s Thomas Partey featured in Arsenal’s Carabao Cup defeat on Thursday having played for his country in Cameroon just two days earlier.
You would imagine that tight turn around will be something of an outlier, and such, it would be touch and go as to whether any Premier League player who makes it to the final four of AFCON will be available to feature in the midweek round of top flight fixtures scheduled for February 8th and 9th.
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