The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which has been delayed, will take place in Ivory Coast next year. During a glamorous ceremony in Abidjan, the reigning champions, Senegal, were drawn into Group C. In this group, they will compete against Cameroon, their neighbors The Gambia, and Guinea.
African football legends, including former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, participated in drawing the teams. After the draw, Mane acknowledged the challenge, saying, “It’s a highly competitive group. Cameroon will be a formidable opponent, but we will give our all to advance to the next round.”
World Cup semi-finalists and the upcoming hosts for the 2025 tournament, Morocco, have secured the highest spot in FIFA’s rankings, holding 13th place. In the draw for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, the Atlas Lions were placed in a group with DR Congo, Zambia, and Tanzania.
Achraf Hakimi, a key player for Morocco and a member of the 2021 Afcon Team of the Tournament, participated in the draw. Expressing his aspirations for the upcoming tournament, Hakimi stated, “We will strive to perform at our best in this Afcon, just as we did in the World Cup. We have a strong team and a solid group, and we will give our all to aim for victory.”
The draw also brought together two footballing legends, Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast and Jon Mikel Obi of Nigeria, whose nations were drawn into the same group. Ivory Coast, the tournament hosts and previous winners in 1992 and 2015, will kick off the competition on 13 January against Guinea-Bissau, with Equatorial Guinea completing the group.
Another noteworthy draw placed South Africa and Namibia alongside Tunisia and Mali in Group E, which is shaping up to be one of the most competitive groups of the tournament. Mozambique, making a return to the finals after an absence since 2010, has been assigned to Group B, where they will compete with Egypt, Ghana, and Cape Verde. Egypt narrowly missed their eighth title in the 2021 final, losing to Senegal in a penalty shootout.
Originally scheduled for June and July 2023, the tournament was rescheduled due to concerns about playing it during the rainy season. The competition will be hosted across two stadiums in the Ivorian capital Abidjan, along with one in Bouake and three newly constructed venues in Korhogo, San Pedro, and Yamoussoukro.
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations will feature 24 teams and run from 13 January to 11 February. The top two teams from each of the six groups, along with the four best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout phase.
Despite the change in the year, it retains 2023 as part of its official title, and the final will be held at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan on 11 February.
Africa Cup of Nations 2023 draw:
- Group A: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau.
- Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique.
- Group C: Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, The Gambia.
- Group D: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola.
- Group E: Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia.
- Group F: Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania.