There has been a shakeup at the top of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nation odds as the group stage comes to a close. Following the stunning elimination of defending champions Algeria, who have been bounced from the tournament with a winless run in group stage action, a three-way race has emerged. Despite their uninspired performance in Group B action, Senegal now sit perched as 5.00 favourites to claim their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title. Tournament hosts Cameroon have climbed to a 5.50 bet, and sit along with a surprising squad from Nigeria as co-second favourites.
CanadianBettingSites has got you covered with all the odds and trends as the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations enters the knockout stage. Sports bettors looking to get in on international soccer action for the first time can check out our free betting tools to learn all they need to know about soccer betting in Canada.
| African Cup of Nations Odds |
|---|
| Senegal |
| Cameroon |
| Nigeria |
| Morocco |
| Ivory Coast |
| Mali |
| Egypt |
| Tunisia |
| Burkina Faso |
| Gabon |
| Gambia |
| Guinea |
| Cape Verde |
| Malawi |
| Equatorial Guinea |
| Comoros |
Senegal Benefiting from Algeria’s Ouster
Deadlined by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finally kicked off earlier this month. This year’s edition of the tournament has lived up to its promise, with 24 nations battling it out for the title of Africa’s top squad. The group stage provided sports bettors with plenty of surprises. Most notable among them is the disappointing performance of defending champions and tourney-opening favourites Algeria, who scored just one total goal during a 0-1-2 win-draw-loss run that ended with the last-place finish on the Group E table.
Reigning champions Algeria crash out of Africa Cup of Nations as group stage ends
READ: https://t.co/newp97vqOq #Africacupofnations pic.twitter.com/rbxeUOxZAA
— TOI Sports (@toisports) January 21, 2022
With Algeria bowing out, the path is clear for Senegal to lay claim to their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title. Runners up at the last edition of this tournament in 2019, the Lions of Teranga sport an incredibly deep lineup populated with players from an array of top-flight clubs, led by Liverpool FC’s Sadio Mane.
Sadio Mane and Naby Keita captained their countries as it finished Senegal 0-0 Guinea at #AFCON 🔴🤝 pic.twitter.com/RZcI7qfLCK
— Liverpool FC News (@LivEchoLFC) January 14, 2022
Winner of the EPL Golden Boot in 2019, Mane has helped the Reds stay within striking distance of Manchester City, who are dominating the Premier League futures. However, he has yet to spark a Senegalese attack that produced just one total goal while going 1-2-0 in Group B action. However, Senegal enjoys the benefit of a favourable round of 16 matchups. The team will face Cape Verde, who finished tops among third-place squads, but trails as a distant 81.00 bet on the tournament futures.
Egypt Need Salah to Show Up
The other big disappointment in group stage action was the play of Egypt. Led by another Liverpool superstar, Mo Salah, the Egyptians opened the tournament perched among the betting favourites. But the team has fallen to a lengthy +1200 bet after mustering just two total goals while struggling to a second-place finish behind Nigeria on the Group D table.
Mohamed Salah v Guinea-Bissau 21/22 (AFCON)
With a great performance by Mo, Egypt took control of their fate going into the final group game at AFCON 🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/eGLoGBAy51
— Salah Central (@SalahCentral) January 16, 2022
Of course, Egypt’s fade presents intriguing opportunities for value-seeking sports bettors. While the team remains far from the deepest in this tournament, they still feature arguably the best player in the world in Salah. The 29-year-old is poised to claim Premier League Golden Boot honours for the third time in his career after scoring 16 goals through his first 20 league matches. However, the Egyptians need Salah to rediscover his scoring touch before a tough date with Ivory Coast in the round of 16.
Cameroon, Nigeria Seize Cinderella Role
The two biggest surprises at the top of the Africa Cup of Nations odds have to be the rise of Cameroon and Nigeria. An ageing Cameroon squad enjoyed generous opening odds as short as 10.00, largely due to their status as the host nation. However, they have silenced the naysayers by going undefeated in their charge to the top of the Group A table. Now set to face tournament longshots Comoros in the round of 16, and featuring the tournament’s leading goalscorer Vincent Aboubakar, Cameroon has firmly entrenched themselves as a fixture at the top of the odds board.
12 – Nigeria have won 12 of their last 14 games at the Africa Cup of Nations (L2), including all three at this year’s edition. It’s the first time since 2006 that they’ve won each of their opening three matches of an edition. Soaring. pic.twitter.com/k3ZDdpL9Ge
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 19, 2022
Little was also expected from Nigeria, who was listed in the middle of the pack on the tourney’s opening odds, but emerged as title threats after filling the net in group stage action. The Super Eagles have gotten contributions from up and down the lineup while potting a tournament-high six goals in group stage action. Nigeria also sports a tournament-leading +5 goal differential. However, they are a risky wager in a round of 16 clashes with Tunisia, who have allowed just 10 total goals in their past 15 non-friendly matches.