2021 Afcon: Group E preview – Algeria, Sierra Leone, Eq Guinea & Ivory Coast2021 Afcon: Group E preview – Algeria, Sierra Leone, Eq Guinea & Ivory Coast

The 33rd Africa Cup of Nations gets underway in Cameroon on Sunday, having been delayed a year by the coronavirus pandemic.

Fixtures

  • Tuesday, 11 January: Algeria v Sierra Leone
  • Wednesday, 12 January: Equatorial Guinea v Ivory Coast
  • Sunday, 16 January: Ivory Coast v Sierra Leone, Algeria v Equatorial Guinea
  • Thursday, 20 January: Ivory Coast v Algeria, Sierra Leone v Equatorial Guinea

Algeria

Manchester City forward Riyad Mahrez captained Algeria to their second Nations Cup triumph three years ago

  • Appearance: 19th
  • Best finish: Winners (1990 and 2019)
  • Coach: Djamel Belmadi
  • Captain: Riyad Mahrez
  • Fifa ranking: 29
  • Nickname: Desert Foxes

SIERRA LEON

Veteran striker Kei Kamara scored the goal which secured Sierra Leone’s qualification for the Nations Cup

  • Appearance: Third
  • Best finish: Group stage (1994 and 1996)
  • Coach: John Keister
  • Captain: Umaru Bangura
  • Fifa ranking: 108
  • Nickname: Leone Stars

Equatorial Guinea

Former Mallorca, Middlesbrough and Birmingham City player Emilio Nsue featured when Equatorial Guinea hosted the Nations Cup in 2015

  • Appearance: Third
  • Best finish: Fourth place (2015)
  • Coach: Juan Micha
  • Captain: Emilio Nsue
  • Fifa ranking: 114
  • Nickname: Nzalang Nacional (National Thunder)

IVORY COAST

Ivory Coast skipper Serge Aurier joined Spanish side Villarreal in October after leaving Tottenham Hotspur

  • Appearance: 24th
  • Best finish: Winners (1992 and 2015)
  • Coach: Patrice Beaumelle
  • Captain: Serge Aurier
  • Fifa ranking: 56
  • Nickname: The Elephants

Loading

Ignatius Aboagye-Dacosta is a Ghanaian digital media entrepreneur, football content creator, and sports marketing professional with a strong focus on African and global football. He is the founder and editor of SoccaNews.com, a football news platform launched in 2019 and rebranded from 433Ghana, committed to delivering timely news, player profiles, match analysis, and insightful football stories. Ignatius has built a solid reputation in digital publishing and social media growth, managing multiple sports and entertainment platforms that amplify African football narratives to a global audience. His work blends journalism, branding, and audience engagement, with a clear passion for promoting Ghanaian and African football talents worldwide. In addition to media, Ignatius currently serves as the Operations Manager at Global Fish Link Limited, a Tema-based company, where he oversees daily operations, coordination, and strategic execution. This role has strengthened his expertise in business operations, logistics, and organizational management. Through his media platforms and professional engagements, Ignatius continues to contribute to the growth of digital sports journalism and sports business in Africa.
error: Content is protected !!