The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) takes place in Egypt this summer with 24 teams vying to be crowned kings of the continent.
Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian forward who recently fired Liverpool to Uefa Champions League glory, spearheads home hopes, while his clubmate Sadio Mane leads the attack for Senegal.
We take a look at the teams taking part, where the matches will be played and when the final takes place.
Who is hosting the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations?
Egypt were chosen to replace original hosts Cameroon in January after the Confederation of African Football, the continent's ruling body, deemed that the country's infrastructure was not up to the required standard to host its flagship tournament.
This will be the fifth time Egypt has hosted the tournament. They are also its record winners with seven titles, there last coming in 2010.
This year's Afcon takes place from June 21 with the final on July 19.
Who are the Africa Cup of Nations holders?
Cameroon won the tournament in Gabon two years ago, beating Egypt 2-1 in the final to claim the Afcon trophy for a fifth time.
As hosts, Cameroon were not required to take part in qualifying but did so regardless, perhaps sensing that they may be stripped of hosting rights further down the line. A wise decision, as it turned out. They finished second in qualifying Group B level on 11 points with Morocco.
When does Afcon 2019 take place?
The tournament will be held from June 21 to July 19, with six venues to be used. This year's tournament has been moved to summer so as not to clash with European domestic leagues. Afcon is usually held in the winter.
Who are the teams taking part in Afcon 2019?
Twenty-four teams will play in the 32nd edition of Afcon, a biennial tournament that this year has been expanded from 16 teams to 24.
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Burundi
Cameroon
DR Congo
[ Egypt ]
Ghana
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea
Ivory Coast
[ Kenya ]
Madagascar
Mali
Mauritania
Morocco
Namibia
Nigeria
Senegal
South Africa
Tunisia
Tanzania
Uganda
Zimbabwe
What are the host cities and venues?
Alexandria: Alexandria Stadium
Cairo: Cairo International Stadium, 30 June Stadium, Al Salam Stadium
Ismailia: Ismailia Stadium
Suez: Suez Stadium
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Premier League players at Afcon 2019
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The groups
Afcon 2019 is made up of four teams in six groups:
Group A
Egypt
DR Congo
Uganda
Zimbabwe
Fixtures (all kick-off times are UAE)
June 22
Egypt 1-0 Zimbabwe - report
DR Congo 0-2 Uganda
June 26
Egypt 2-0 DR Congo - report
Uganda 1-1 Zimbabwe
June 30
Uganda 0-2 Egypt - report
Zimbabwe 0-4 DR Congo
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Group B
Nigeria
Guinea
Madagascar
Burundi
Fixtures
June 22
Nigeria 1-0 Burundi - report
Guinea 2-2 Madagascar - report
June 26
Nigeria 1-0 Guinea
June 27
Madagascar 1-0 Burundi
June 30
Madagascar 2-0 Nigeria
Burundi 0-2 Guinea
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Group C
Senegal
Algeria
Kenya
Tanzania
Fixtures
June 23
Senegal 2-0 Tanzania
Algeria 2-0 Kenya
June 27
Senegal 0-1 Algeria
Kenya 3-2 Tanzania
July 1
Kenya 0-3 Senegal - report
Tanzania 0-3 Algeria - report
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Group D
Morocco
Ivory Coast
South Africa
Namibia
Fixtures
June 23
Morocco 1-0 Namibia
June 24
Ivory Coast 1-0 South Africa - report
June 28
Morocco 1-0 Ivory Coast
South Africa 1-0 Namibia
July 1
South Africa 0-1 Morocco
Namibia 1-4 Ivory Coast
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Group E
Tunisia
Mali
Mauritania
Angola
Fixtures
June 24
Tunisia 1-1 Angola - report
Mali 4-1 Mauritania - report
June 28
Tunisia 1-1 Mali
June 29
Mauritania 0-0 Angola
July 2
Mauritania 0-0 Tunisia
Angola 0-1 Mali
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Group F
Cameroon
Ghana
Benin
Guinea-Bissau
Fixtures
June 25
Cameroon 2-0 Guinea-Bissau - report
Ghana 2-2 Benin - report
June 29
Cameroon 0-0 Ghana
Benin 0-0 Guinea-Bissau
July 2
Benin 0-0 Cameroon
Guinea-Bissau 0-2 Ghana
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The format
The teams in each group will play in a single round-robin format, and after the group stage, the top two teams and the four best third-placed teams will advance to the last 16.
The winners will advance to the quarter-finals stage, and from then on, progress to the semi-finals. The semi-final losers will contest a third-place match, while semi-final winners will advance to the final.
Last 16
Friday, July 5
Morocco 1-1 Benin (Benin win 4-1 on penalties) - report
Uganda 1-0 Senegal - report
Saturday, July 6
Nigeria 3-2 Cameroon - report
Egypt 0-1 South Africa - report
Sunday, July 7
Madagascar 2-2 DR Congo (Madagascar win 4-2 on penalties) - report
Algeria 3-0 Guinea
Monday, July 8
Mali 0-1 Ivory Coast
Ghana 1-1 Tunisia (Tunisia win 5-4 on penalties)
Quarter-finals
Wednesday, July 10
Senegal 1-0 Benin - report
Nigeria 2-1 South Africa - report
Thursday, July 11
Ivory Coast 1-1 Algeria (Algeria win 4-3 on penalties) - report
Madagascar 0-3 Tunisia - report
Semi-finals
Sunday, July 14
Senegal 1-0 Tunisia
Algeria 2-1 Nigeria - report
Third place play-off
Wednesday, July 17
Tunisia v Nigeria, 11pm
Final
Friday, July 19
Senegal v Algeria, 11pm
Who to watch out for
Pretty much most of the world will be fixated on Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian king who has emerged as one of the world's finest players since joining Liverpool two summers ago.
Salah, 26, scored from the penalty spot to give Liverpool the lead against Tottenham in last week's Champions League final in Madrid. Liverpool went on to win the match 2-0 to win a sixth European Cup.
Liverpool missed out on winning a first Premier League trophy in 29 years by a single point to Manchester City, with Salah contributing 22 goals in another stellar season at Anfield.
Salah may feel he still has something left to prove on the international stage, though. The reigning African player of the year arrived at last year's World Cup in Russia nursing a dislocated shoulder and, despite scoring twice in the group stages, could not prevent Pharaohs from falling at the first hurdle.
There are three countries making their Afcon debuts at this year's tournament: Burundi, Madagascar and Mauritania will all grace Africa's biggest stage for the first time.
How can I watch the games on TV in the UAE?
You can watch all the matches on BeIN Sports.
