Not a football fan? here is what to expect as the 2023 African Cup of Nations draws nigh.
The African Cup of Nations is the biggest sporting event on the African Continent. Sponsored by Total Energies,the 34th edition will be hosted by West African country,Ivory Coast from 13 January to 11 February 2024.Twenty-four teams from Africa will battle each other for the ultimate,as millions of fans are expected to travel from various countries to Ivory Coast to have a first hand experience of games.
Stadiums
Six FIFA international level stadiums in five separate cities in Côte d’Ivoire are set to host the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). They are;Alassane Ouattara Stadium,Abidjan (capacity 60,000),Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium,Abidjan(capacity 33,000),Charles Konan Banny Stadium,Yamoussoukro (capacity 20,000),Stade de la Paix,Bouake (capacity 40,000),Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium,Korhogo (capacity 20,000),Laurent Pokou Stadium,San Pedro (capacity 20,000)
Qualified Teams
* Group A – Ivory Coast,Nigeria,Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau
* Group B – Egypt, Ghana,Cape Verde and Mozambique
* Group C – Senegal,Cameroon,Guinea and The Gambia
* Group D – Algeria,Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Angola
* Group E – Tunisia, Mali,South Africa, and Namibia
* Group F – Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, and Tanzania
Top teams in each group and four best third-placed teams Qualify to the knockout stage.
Match Officials.
On 12 September 2023, a total of 32 referees, 33 assistants and 12 video assistant referees (VAR) were named by the Confederation of African Football for the tournament.
Previous Winners
* 1957 – Egypt
* 1959 – Egypt
* 1962 – Ethiopia
* 1963 – Ghana
* 1965 – Ghana
* 1968 – DR Congo
* 1970 – Sudan
* 1972 – Congo
* 1974 – DR Congo
* 1976 – Morocco
* 1978 – Ghana
* 1980 – Nigeria
* 1982 – Ghana
* 1984 – Cameroon
* 1986 – Egypt
* 1988 – Cameroon
* 1990 – Algeria
* 1992 – Ivory Coast
* 1994 – Nigeria
* 1996 – South Africa
* 1998 – Egypt
* 2000 – Cameroon
* 2002 – Cameroon
* 2004 – Tunisia
* 2006 – Egypt
* 2008 – Egypt
* 2010 – Egypt
* 2012 – Zambia
* 2013 – Nigeria
* 2015 – Ivory Coast
* 2017 – Cameroon
* 2019 – Algeria
* 2021 – Senegal
Top Players To Watch Out for
Mohammed Salah(Egypt), Victor Osimhen(Nigeria), Sadio Mane(Senegal), Achraf Hakimi(Morocco), Riyad Mahrez(Algeria), Andre Onana( Cameroon), Kudus Mohammed(Ghana), Victor Boniface(Nigeria), Hakim Ziyech(Morocco), Nicholas Jackson(Senegal)
Where to Watch AFCON 2023 ?
AFCON 2023 will be shown free-to-air on the CAF YouTube channel and exclusive rights owners New World TV will sub-license other broadcasters to make it available on free-to-air stations in other African countries.
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Story by:David Kwaku Dzaku|univers.ug.edu.gh
