The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations to be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea will be played between 21 January and 12 February.
The opening match will be played in Bata in Equatorial Guinea while the final will take place in Libreville.
The tournament will begin over a week later than 2010 edition in Angola which may dismay many European clubs.
Many European sides are unhappy about losing some of their best players for up to three weeks.
With several leagues taking a winter break, an earlier start to the tournament would mean many Europe-based players can compete at the finals without missing domestic matches.
Fifa laws state that clubs must release their players for the Nations Cup up for 14 days before their opening match.
Caf is yet to fix a date and venue for the draw for the 2012 Nations Cup.