This edition was held in two stadiums in Durban, South Africa from 26 August to 4 September 2021.

CD Costa do Sol from Mozambique had its license rejected by CAF for failing to meet the competition's criteria.

The draw ceremony of the edition of the competition was held on 29 July 2021 11:00 CAT/SAST (09:00 UTC) in Johannesburg, South Africa.

[8] Teams are ranked according to the three points for a win system (3 for a win, 1 for a draw and none/0 for a loss) and if tied on points, the following tie-breaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings.

At the knockout stage, extra-time and penalty shoot-out may be used if necessary for tie-breakers if scores level after normal regulation time.