AFCON Trophy arrives at CAF headquarters in Egypt

CAIRO - 21 June 2019: The trophy of African Nations Cup returned to the headquarters of the Organizing Committee of the African Nations Cup after a tour of the Cup last month.

The Trophy was placed in a black box for the hotel's treasury where the committee is located in Zamalek.

The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Friday, June 21, as host Egypt will face Zimbabwe.

This year’s edition is considered the biggest Africa Cup of Nations ever with 24 teams. Egypt will stage the competition from June 21 until July 19.

The tournament was increased from 16 to 24 teams, in a similar format to Euro 2016, Egypt is hosting this tournament for a 5th time. The Pharaohs are the most successful team in the tournament's history, winning seven times.

Matches will be held at eight stadiums during the tournament, hosting in five different cities, namely Alexandria, Ismailia, Port Said, Suez and the capital Cairo.