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Draw for Africa Cup of Nations finals delayed due to COVID-19

Fans sit on marked seats to adhere to social distancing measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 during the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match between Nigeria and Lesotho at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos in March 2021. PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images

The draw for the Africa Cup of Nations finals, set for Yaounde on June 25, has been postponed, the Confederation of African Football [CAF] said on Sunday.

It said the postponement was due to "logistical reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic" and a new date would be announced in due course.

The Afcon tournament has already been put back a year because of the pandemic.

Sierra Leone and Benin play their outstanding qualifier this month to determine the last of the 24 teams in the finals, at this stage still set for in Cameroon in January next year.

CAF added in their statement: "CAF continues to work together with its partners, the Cameroon government and the LOC with the objective of making theTotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021 a successful event and a great celebration of African football."

CAF last month postponed the resumption of World Cup qualifiers, which had been scheduled for the opening weeks of June, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group phase of African qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 tournament is now due to start in September.