Anticipation is building for the much-awaited African Cup of Nations 2023, set to kick off on January 13 in the Ivory Coast and organized by the Confederation of African Football. The tournament is poised to be a spectacle of the continent's exceptional talents, drawing from players who have garnered attention through stellar performances at both their club level and during the Qatar World Cup 2022.
Of particular note is the participation of five African teams that made an impact at the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Morocco, having reached the semifinals in the global showcase, is positioned as the frontrunner to clinch the African championship. As the footballing spotlight shifts to the Ivory Coast, fans can expect a thrilling display of skill and competition as Africa's football elite vie for glory in this prestigious tournament.
AFCON 2023 hosts
Ivory coast will host the AFCON for a second time
AFCON 2023 Groups
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
How does the group stage work?
How does the group stage work?
The group stage of the tournament operates on the basis of teams being divided into groups, with each group consisting of several teams. Typically, teams within the same group play against each other in a round-robin format. The outcome of these matches determines the standings within each group.
In the context of the African Cup of Nations 2023, the last 16 stage will involve the progression of the top two teams from each group. Additionally, the four third-placed teams with the highest rankings will also advance to the knockout stage. This structure allows for a total of 16 teams to move on to the next phase of the competition.
On the flip side, the tournament bids farewell to the bottom teams and the two third-placed teams with the least favorable rankings in each group. This elimination process narrows down the field, paving the way for a more intense and competitive knockout stage, where teams will vie for a coveted spot in the latter rounds of the tournament.
How
does the knockout stage work?
Following a three-day break
starting on January 24, the last-16 fixtures will commence.
AFCON 2023
last 16 stage overview
Group D winners vs third place
Group B/E/F
Group A runners-up vs Group C
runners-up
Group A winners vs third place
Group C/D/E
Group B second place vs Group F
runners-up
Group B winners vs third place
Group A/C/D
Group C winners vs third Place
Group A/B/F
Group E winners vs Group D
runners-up
Group F winners vs Group E
runners-up
AFCON 2023 stadiums and
capacity
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)
AFCON 2023
fixtures:
Saturday 13 January
Group A: Ivory Coast vs
Guinea-Bissau, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (20:00)
Sunday 14 January
Group A: Nigeria vs Equatorial
Guinea, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (14:00)
Group B: Egypt vs Mozambique,
Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (17:00)
Group B: Ghana vs Cape Verde,
Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (20:00)
Monday 15 January
Group C: Senegal vs The Gambia,
Charles Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro (14:00)
Group C: Cameroon vs Guinea,
Yamoussoukro (17:00)
Group D: Algeria vs Angola,
Stade de la Paix, Bouake (20:00)
Tuesday 16 January
Group D: Burkina Faso vs
Mauritania, Bouake (14:00)
Group E: Tunisia vs Namibia,
Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo (17:00)
Group E: Mali vs South Africa,
Korhogo (20:00)
Wednesday 17 January
Group F: Morocco vs Tanzania,
Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pedro (17:00)
Group F: DR Congo vs Zambia,
San Pedro (20:00)
Thursday 18 January
Group A: Equatorial Guinea vs
Guinea-Bissau, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (14:00)
Group A: Ivory Coast vs
Nigeria, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (17:00)
Group B: Egypt vs Ghana, Felix
Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (20:00)
Friday 19 January
Group B: Cape Verde vs
Mozambique, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (14:00)
Group C: Senegal vs Cameroon,
Yamoussoukro (17:00)
Group C: Guinea vs The Gambia,
Yamoussoukro (20:00)
Saturday 20 January
Group D: Algeria vs Burkina
Faso, Bouake (14:00)
Group D: Mauritania vs Angola,
Bouake (17:00)
Group E: Tunisia vs Mali,
Korhogo (20:00)
Sunday
21 January
Group E: South Africa vs
Namibia, Korhogo (20:00)
Group F: Morocco vs DR Congo,
San Pedro (14:00)
Group F: Zambia vs Tanzania,
San Pedro (17:00)
Monday 22 January
Group A: Equatorial Guinea vs
Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (17:00)
Group A: Guinea-Bissau vs
Nigeria, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (17:00)
Group B: Cape Verde vs Egypt,
Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (20:00)
Group B: Mozambique vs Ghana,
Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (20:00)
Tuesday 23 January
Group C: The Gambia vs
Cameroon, Bouake (17:00)
Group C: Guinea vs Senegal,
Yamoussoukro (17:00)
Group D: Angola vs Burkina
Faso, Yamoussoukro (20:00)
Group D: Mauritania vs Algeria,
Bouake (20:00)
Wednesday 24 January
Group E: Namibia vs Mali, San
Pedro (17:00)
Group E: South Africa vs
Tunisia, Korhogo (17:00)
Group F: Tanzania vs DR Congo,
Korhogo (20:00)
Group F: Zambia vs Morocco, San
Pedro (20:00)
AFCON 2023
second round fixtures
Saturday 27 January
SR1: Group D Winner vs 3rd
Place Group B/E/F, Bouake (17:00)
SR2: Group A Second Place vs
Group C Second Place, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (20:00)
Sunday 28 January
SR3: Group A Winner vs 3rd
Place Group C/D/E, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (17:00)
SR4: Group B Second Place vs
Group F Second Place, San Pedro (20:00)
Monday 29 January
SR5: Group B Winner vs 3rd
Place Group A/C/D, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (17:00)
SR6: Group C Winner vs 3rd
Place Group A/B/F, Yamoussoukro (20:00)
Tuesday 30 January
SR7: Group E Winner vs Group D
Second Place, Korhogo (17:00)
SR8: Group F Winner vs Group E
Second Place, San Pedro (20:00)
AFCON 2023
Quater finals
Friday 2 February
QF1: Winner SR2 vs Winner RS1,
Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (17:00)
QF2: Winner SR4 vs Winner SR3,
Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (20:00)
Saturday
3 February
QF3: Winner SR7 vs Winner RS6,
Bouake (17:00)
QF4: Winner SR5 vs Winner SR8,
Yamoussoukro (20:00)
AFCON 2023
Semi-finals
Wednesday
7 February
SF1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF4,
Bouake (17:00)
SF2: Winner QF3 vs Winner QF2,
Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (20:00)
AFCON 2023
Third place play-off
Saturday
10 February
SF1 vs SF2 losers, Felix
Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (20:00)
AFCON 2023
Final
Sunday
11 February
SF1 vs SF2 winners, Alassane
Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (20:00)
AFCON past
winners
Egypt holds the record as the
most successful team in AFCON history, securing seven titles. They were the
runners-up in the most recent tournaments, in 2017 and 2021.
Cameroon follows as the second
most successful team with five victories, while Ghana has clinched the trophy
four times, the last being in 1982. This fact may still be a source of rivalry
with West African counterparts Nigeria, who boast three AFCON titles.
Hosts Ivory Coast, Algeria
(2019 winners), and DR Congo have each claimed the title twice.
Senegal is currently defending
their sole Africa Cup of Nations crown, while Morocco, the highest-ranked
nation, has secured the title only once in 1976. Tunisia, Zambia, Sudan,
Ethiopia, South Africa, and the Republic of the Congo have also been crowned
champions on one occasion each.
AFCON 2023
prize money
The prize money for the
champions of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations will see a significant 40 percent
increase. The winner will be awarded $7m.
The runners-up will receive
$4m, while each of the two semi-finalists will take home $2.5m. Additionally,
the four quarterfinalists will be awarded $1.3m each.