Football fans are in for a treat during the early part of next year as the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is hosted by Ivory Coast.
The delayed tournament is scheduled to take place from January 13 to February 11, 2024, and looks set to be one the most competitive editions ever staged.
Defending champions Senegal are among the bookmakers’ favourites to retain the trophy, but several other teams have a genuine chance of wrestling the title from their grasp.
They include seven-time winners Egypt, while 2022 World Cup runners-up Morocco are also expected to mount a strong challenge. Read on as we preview the tournament.
2023 Africa Cup of Nations – Groups
The opening stage of the tournament features six groups of four teams. The top two in each group progress to the last-16 alongside the best four third-placed teams. The draw is as follows:
- Group A: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau.
- Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique.
- Group C: Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia.
- Group D: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola.
- Group E: Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia.
- Group F: Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania.
The group stage of the tournament is a single round robin, while the knockout rounds are played as single-elimination fixtures.
2023 Africa Cup of Nations – Schedule
The schedule for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations is as follows:
- Group stage – January 13-24
- Round of 16 – January 27-30
- Quarter-finals – February 2-3
- Semi-finals – February 7
- Third-place play-off – February 10
- Final – February 11
2023 Africa Cup of Nations – How to Watch
The best place to watch AFCON is beIN SPORTS. The platform has the rights to broadcast matches with English and Spanish commentary and will offer extensive coverage throughout the tournament.
Africa Cup of Nations – Winners 2000-2021
Goals have been hard to come by in recent AFCON finals, with defences generally having the upper hand in the title decider. Here is a look at the finals from 2000 to 2021.
- 2021 – Senegal 0-0 Egypt (4-2 Penalties)
- 2019 – Algeria 1-0 Senegal
- 2017 – Cameroon 2-1 Egypt
- 2015 – Ivory Coast 0-0 Ghana (9-8 Penalties)
- 2013 – Nigeria 1-0 Burkina Faso
- 2012 – Zambia 0-0 Ivory Coast (8-7 Penalties)
- 2010 – Egypt 1-0 Ghana
- 2008 – Egypt 1-0 Cameroon
- 2006 – Egypt 0-0 Ivory Coast 4-2 Penalties)
- 2004 – Tunisia 2-1 Morocco
- 2002 – Cameroon 0-0 Senegal (3-2 Penalties)
- 2000 – Cameroon 2-2 Nigeria (4-3 Penalties)
2023 Africa Cup of Nations – Odds
There is little to choose between the leading teams in the AFCON outright betting, with Cameroon currently heading the ante-post market. Here are the latest odds:
- Cameroon – 6.30
- Senegal – 6.50
- Morocco – 8.00
- Ivory Coast – 9.00
- Egypt – 10.00
- Nigeria – 12.00
- Tunisia – 13.00
- Algeria – 14.00
- Mali – 16.00
- Bar – 17.00
Predicting the winner of the 2023 AFCON is no easy task, with several teams holding a genuine chance of lifting the trophy including reigning champions Senegal.
They were unbeaten during the qualification process and look a good bet to mount a strong defence of the title given the quality of their squad.
Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria, Mali and Tunisia also impressed during qualifying and should be competitive, while it would be foolish to underestimate hosts Ivory Coast.
However, Egypt and Morocco are worth an interest in the outright betting market, with both teams capable of getting their hands on the prestigious trophy.
The sportsbooks featured on this list of sports betting in the Arab world will likely be inundated with wagers on the seven-time winners, particularly with star forward Mohamed Salah in their ranks.
Salah has twice finished with a runners-up medal in this tournament and will be desperate to deliver a winning return to sports bettors this time around.
While it would be no surprise to see Egypt win the title, Morocco make slightly more appeal following their heroics at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Morocco became the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the tournament and look a solid wager at odds of 8.00 to be crowned continental champions for the first time since 1976.
