Africa Cup of Nations 2015: Schedule and how to watch the quarterfinals

Have you been missing AFCON? It’s likely, considering we’ve had two whole days without any games. Friday did at least bring us the drawing of lots, but pulling a ball out of a hat just doesn’t provide the same sort of excitement -- especially considering they didn’t let us watch.

But stop fretting. AFCON is back with the quarterfinals, giving us four games over two days. And considering how crazy this tournament has been, there’s really no way to predict who’s going to the semifinals.

Oh, boy, do we have stories for you. First off, Congo, who finished first in Group A, wasn’t even supposed to be here, but Rwanda got kicked out for fielding an ineligible player. Turns out Equatorial Guinea did the same, but they bought their way into the finals by hosting the tournament. Somehow these two sides managed to overcome the flashy teams assembled by Burkina Faso and Gabon, making it into the quarters.

Group B threw up the least amount of surprises, although it’s still startling to see DR Congo going through rather than Zambia, on the surface the strongest side. After all, DR Congo were the team that made it through after finishing first out of all the third-place winners. They made it this far by drawing all their games. That meant Tunisia, with one win, managed to finish first.

The tournament’s Group of Death saw Ghana finishing first, thanks to their beating ultimate second-place finishers Algeria. None of the Group Ci’s sides were particularly impressive, though, so we’re all just hoping they were saving themselves for later in the tournament.

Group D was perhaps the most intriguing, if only because we thought there’d be a drawing of the lots to determine everything. In the end, though, Ivory Coast managed to defeat a panicked Cameroon, sending them home. Yet another 1-1 draw between Guinea and Mali did give us that lot-drawing, as every other game had finished with the same scoreline. In the end, Guinea advanced with three draws and the picking of their name on a little piece of paper.

Chaos? Anarchy? We go into these quarterfinals with two teams that possibly shouldn’t have made it this far at all, and two teams that haven’t won a match. We’ve got a creaky Ivory Coast who’s somehow managed to pull off narrow victories, and an Algeria side that isn’t lighting up the pitch as expected. Not one side comes into this round having dominated their group, and five of the eight teams have won a game or fewer.

If we’re picking based solely on performance, than Algeria still look to be favorites to win it all. But -- leaving aside the matter of their wobbly defense -- nothing about this year’s AFCON suggests it’ll be the best team that hoists the trophy. Ivory Coast has been exceedingly lucky. We know Guinea can pull off the draws. So can DR Congo. Equatorial Guinea is enjoying their home advantage.

Meanwhile, Tunisia have trouble scoring, Ghana seem to need miracles -- or talismans, Algeria haven’t quite come together like everyone was hoping, and Congo...well, no one has quite figured out how this side, that really hasn’t looked good in any of their matches, has managed to emerge with seven points.

So what can we expect? Surprises. Sorry, that’s all we’ve got for you. But there’s no tournament that throws up surprises quite like Africa Cup of Nations; therefore, there’s no tournament quite as fun -- and perhaps quite as maddening -- to watch.

Time: 11 a.m. ET
Venue: Estadio de Bata, Bata
Watch: beIN Sports Connect (USA and Canada); Eurosport 1 and Eurosport International (where available); other viewing options available here

Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Estadio de Bata, Bata
Watch: beIN Sports Connect (USA and Canada); Eurosport 1 and Eurosport International (where available); other viewing options available here

Time: 11 a.m. ET
Venue: Nuevo Estadoi de Malabo, Malabo
Watch: beIN Sports and beIN Sports Connect (USA and Canada); Eurosport 1 and Eurosport International (where available); other viewing options available here

Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Nuevo Estadoi de Malabo, Malabo
Watch: beIN Sports Connect (USA and Canada); Eurosport 1 and Eurosport International (where available); other viewing options available here