In the knockout stage, except for the third place play-off, if a match was level at the end of 90 minutes of normal playing time, extra time was played (two periods of 15 minutes each).
If still tied after extra time, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner.
In the third place play-off, if the scores remained level after 90 minutes the match would go directly to a penalty shoot-out, without any extra time being played.
The top two placed teams from each of the four groups advanced to the knockout stage.
All times are South African Standard Time (UTC+2) Man of the Match:[2] Fatau Dauda (Ghana) Assistant referees: Yéo Songuifolo (Ivory Coast) Jean-Claude Birumushahu (Burundi) Fourth official: Gehad Grisha (Egypt) Man of the Match:[2] Seydou Keita (Mali) Assistant referees: Evarist Menkouande (Cameroon) Peter Edibe (Nigeria) Fourth official: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia) Man of the Match:[2] Sunday Mba (Nigeria) Assistant referees: Redouane Achik (Morocco) Jerson Emiliano Dos Santos (Angola) Fourth official: Bouchaïb El Ahrach (Morocco) Man of the Match:[2] Jonathan Pitroipa (Burkina Faso) Assistant referees: Djibril Camara (Senegal) El Hadji Malick Samba (Senegal) Fourth official: Bernard Camille (Seychelles) Man of the Match:[3] Emmanuel Emenike (Nigeria) Assistant referees: Angesom Ogbamariam (Eritrea) Félicien Kabanda (Rwanda) Fourth official: Gehad Grisha (Egypt) Man of the Match:[3] Aristide Bancé (Burkina Faso) Assistant referees: Béchir Hassani (Tunisia) Anouar Hmila (Tunisia) Fourth official: Bouchaib El Ahrach (Morocco) Man of the Match:[citation needed] Seydou Keita (Mali) Assistant referees: Evarist Menkouande (Cameroon) Marwa Range (Kenya) Fourth official: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia) Man of the Match:[4] Mikel John Obi (Nigeria) Assistant referees: Redouane Achik (Morocco) Jean-Claude Birumushahu (Burundi) Fourth official: Rajindraparsad Seechurn (Mauritius)