A total of twenty-four nations from Africa will play in the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, which is due to be held in Côte d’Ivoire from 13 January to 11 February 2024.
It will be the first time since 2012 that the tournament, normally held every other year, is being held in the same year as an Olympic Games.
Only one team, Cameroon, has ever won the men’s senior AFCON and the Olympic men’s under-23 gold medal in the same year, achieving the feat in 2000. The only other country to have won both titles, doing so in different years, is Nigeria (AFCON in 1994 and Olympic gold in 1996).
Teams and players to watch at AFCON 2023
As the African team that made the deepest run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, all eyes will be on Morocco in Group F. The Atlas Lions, who advanced to the World Cup semi-finals, have not reached the AFCON final since 2004, and have only clinched the title on one occasion back in 1976.
Hosts Côte d’Ivoire are in a tricky Group A which includes another regular favourite, Nigeria. The 1992 and 2015 champions will be counting on Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller, who is now back to his best after surviving testicular cancer.
Meanwhile, Nigeria are set to compete in their 20th AFCON tournament. Napoli hotshot Victor Osimhen will be expected to lead the goalscoring tally for the Super Eagles, who have not won the title since 2013.
Defending champions Senegal find themselves in Group C. Familiar names like Sadio Mané, Kalidou Koulibaly, Nicolas Jackson, and Idrissa Gueye will be tasked with keeping the trophy in Dakar.
Ghana have Irish former English Premier League manager Chris Hughton in charge this year, and Hughton has named a strong Black Stars side that includes Premier League representation in the form of captain Andre Ayew, Thomas Partey, and Mohamed Kudus.
And finally, seven-time champions Egypt are alongside Ghana in Group B, having last won the title in 2019. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny are two of very few foreign-based players in an overwhelmingly domestic-based side, reflecting the strength of Egypt’s domestic football.
CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2023: The Groups
| Groups | Teams |
|---|---|
| Group A | Ivory Coast (hosts), Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau |
| Group B | Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique |
| Group C | Senegal (holders), Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia |
| Group D | Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola |
| Group E | Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia |
| Group F | Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Tanzania |
CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2023: Full schedule
Below is the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2023 Competition schedule – All times in local time (same time as UTC).*
| Date | Match | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday 13 January | Group A – Ivory Coast vs Guinea-Bissau | 20:00 |
| Sunday 14 January | Group A – Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea Group B – Egypt vs Mozambique Group B – Ghana vs Cabo Verde | 14:00 17:00 20:00 |
| Monday 15 January | Group D – Burkina Faso vs Mauritania Group E – Tunisia vs Namibia Group E – Mali vs South Africa | 14:00 17:00 20:00 |
| Tuesday 16 January | Group D – Burkina Faso vs Mauritania Group E – Tunisia vs Namibia Group E – Mali vs South Africa | 14:00 17:00 20:00 |
| Wednesday 17 January | Group D – Morocco vs Tanzania Group D – DR Congo vs Zambia | 17:00 20:00 |
| Thursday 18 January | Group A – Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea-Bissau Group A – Ivory Coast vs Nigeria Group B – Egypt vs Ghana | 14:00 17:00 20:00 |
| Friday 19 January | Group B – Cabo Verde vs Mozambique Group C – Senegal vs Cameroon Group C – Guinea vs The Gambia | 14:00 17:00 20:00 |
| Saturday 20 January | Group D – Algeria vs Burkina Faso Group D – Mauritania vs Angola Group E – Tunisia vs Mali | 14:00 17:00 20:00 |
| Sunday 21 January | Group F – Morocco vs DR Congo Group F – Zambia vs Tanzania Group E – South Africa vs Namibia | 14:00 17:00 20:00 |
| Monday 22 January | Group A – Equatorial Guinea vs Ivory Coast Group A – Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria Group B – Mozambique vs Ghana Group B – Cabo Verde vs Egypt | 17:00 17:00 20:00 20:00 |
| Tuesday 23 January | Group C – Guinea vs Senegal Group C – Gambia vs Cameroon Group D – Angola vs Burkina Faso Group D – Mauritania vs Angola | 17:00 17:00 20:00 20:00 |
| Wednesday 24 January | Group E – South Africa vs Tunisia Group E – Namibia vs Mali Group F – Tanzania vs DR Congo Group F – Zambia vs Morocco | 17:00 17:00 20:00 20:00 |
| Saturday 27 January – Tuesday 30 January | each day – Round of 16 | 17:00 and 20:00 |
| Friday 2 February – Saturday 3 February | each day – Quarter-finals | 17:00 and 20:00 |
| Wednesday 7 February | Semi-finals | 17:00 and 20:00 |
| Saturday 10 February | Third-place playoff | 20:00 |
| Sunday 11 February | Final | 20:00 |
Where to watch Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 23
The 2023 AFCON will be broadcast across Africa and worldwide, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) looking to make the tournament available across the continent on free-to-air TV.
Other broadcasters include beIN Sport, which will broadcast the tournament in the Middle East and North Africa region as well as in France and the United States; CANAL+, which will show the event in French in Sub-Saharan Africa; GTV in Ghana; AfroSport in Nigeria; Supersports in South Africa; ZIGGO Sport in the Netherlands; and the CAF’s own media channels will also show games in some countries.
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