For four days (from 9 to 12 January), the 24 nations housed in 6 groups each played a group stage match on the 6 sites chosen for the CAN. For most of the favourite party countries, the result was not there. The "small" teams were able to create a surprise by holding the big football nations in check. Overall, the first few games were poor in goals.
The summary of the first day:
- 12 matches, 12 goals scored (including 5 penalties)
- 9 matches ended 1-0
- 2 matches played without a goal (Algeria –Sierra Leone and Sudan-Guinea-Bissau)
- 1 match with more than one goal: Cameroon- Burkina Faso (2-1)
- Top scorer: Vincent Aboubakar (2 goals)
- 17 yellow cards
- 2 red cards (Yared Bayeh-Ethiopia and El Bilal Touré-Mali)
