AFCON 2023 Kicks off in Ivory Coast: Everything you need to know

AFCON 2023 fixtures begin on Saturday, January 13, with the host nation, Cote d’Ivoire, playing Guinea-Bissau in Group A at 20:00 GMT at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara D’Ebimpe.

The 34th edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament, sometimes referred to as the Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is set to start tonight in the commercial capital of Abidjan, the economic powerhouse of Francophone Africa.

AFCON 2023 Fixtures: Group Stage, Round of 16, Quarter Final, Semi Final, Third place play-off and Final

AFCON takes place every two years, and the 2023 tournament will have a host of star players from 24 participating countries across the continent competing in 52 matches.

• Group A: Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea
• Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, and Mozambique
• Group C: Senegal, Cameroon, The Gambia, Guinea,
• Group D: Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Mauritania  Sudan
• Group E:  Mali, South Africa, Tunisia, and Namibia
• Group F: Morocco, Tanzania, Dr Congo, Zambia

Matchday 1: Saturday, January 13

Where are the venues for AFCON 2023?

1. Olympique Alassane Ouattara Stadium is popularly known as the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé.
2. Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, also known as “Le Félicia” (named after the founder of Cote D’Ivoire and the nation’s first Head of State, President Felix Houphouet-Boigny),
3. Stade de la Paix, commonly called Peace Stadium, is one of the most iconic stadiums in Ivory Coast.
4. Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium (named after the late Ivory Coast Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, who served from 2017 to 2020)
5. Charles Konan Banny Stadium
6. Laurent Pokou Stadium

Where can I watch the African Cup of Nations 2023?

There are over nine platforms where African and international football fans can watch the 52 matches to be played at AFCON 2023.

1. DStv and GOtv: Watch AFCON games through the DStv and GOtv sports channel, SuperSport, which is available in 54 African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Angola, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa.

2. New World TV: For viewers living in these Francophone countries, such as Togo, Cameroon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burundi, and Burkina Faso, you can watch the tournament on New World TV, a Togolese media company.

3. Startimes: AFCON 2023 matches will be broadcast live in over 30 African countries, including Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Guinea, and Senegal.
4. Nigerian Television Authority (NTA): The government-owned national media and largest local TV network in Nigeria will be broadcasting the tournament.

5. Ghana Television (GTV): Viewers in Ghana will be able to watch the AFCON 2023 competition on GTV Sports Plus, which will also air on other GBC channels.

6. South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC): The SABC (SABC radio stations and SABC sports channels—SABC 1 and SABC 3) will air the 52 matches across its television, radio, and digital platforms in South Africa.

7. CANAL+: The platform currently has 7 million subscribers in Africa and exists in several French-speaking African countries, including Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon. CANAL+ will also broadcast the tournament.
8. Sky Sports: AFCON 2023 matches will be available to watch on Sky Sports across the United Kingdom (UK) and the Republic of Ireland.
9. beinSports: AFCON 2023 matches will be broadcast on beinSports to viewers in the United States of America,  France, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Japan.

Other stations to watch the AFCON 2023 competition include BBC (United Kingdom), LaLiga+ (Spain), SportItalia (Italy), Sports Digital (Germany and Switzerland), SportTV (Portugal), Viaplay (Nordics), and Band TV (Brazil).

AFCON 2023 Prize Money: How much will the AFCON 2023 winner get?

The Confederation of African Football (CAF), has increased the prize money for the winner of the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon. The detailed prize money for the AFCON 2023 winner is $7 million, as announced by CAF president Dr. Patrice Motsepe, and the decision to increase the money is to enrich players whose lifespan as professionals is too short.

Below is the detailed prize money breakdown for AFCON 2023:

• $7,000,0000 for the winner
• $4,000,000 for the runner-up
• $2,500,000 for the 3rd to 4th-placed teams
• $1,300,000 shared between the 5th and 8th-placed teams

List of 31 Premier League players going for the AFCON 2023 Tournament

The AFCON 2023 competition has added some extra concerns for Premier League managers and fans due to timing. The 2023 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations is set to begin on January 13, 2024, leaving certain clubs such as Nottingham Forest, Fulham, Westham, Manchester United, Wolverhampton, Tottenham, and Liverpool wondering how they’ll cope with missing players. One manager who won’t be happy with Premier League players going for the AFCON competition is the new Nottingham Forest boss, Nuno Espírito Santo. Six Nottingham Forest African players will be absent during the club league matches, and the majority of them are regulars within the first-team squad.

Below is a full list of 31 Premier League players at the Africa Cup of Nations:

• Ivory Coast: Serge Aurier (Nottingham Forest), Willy Boly (Nottingham Forest), Ibrahim Sangare (Nottingham Forest), Simon Adingra (Brighton)
• Nigeria: Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest), Calvin Bassey (Fulham), Alex Iwobi (Fulham), Frank Onyeka (Brentford)
• Egypt: Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
• Ghana: Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Mohammed Kudus (West Ham), and Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth)
• Senegal: Fode Ballo-Toure (Fulham), Moussa Niakhate (Nottingham Forest), Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Chekihou Kouyate (Nottingham Forest), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham), Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea)
• Cameroon: Andre Onana (Manchester United)
• Algeria: Rayan Ait-Nouri (Wolves), Yasser Larouci (Sheffield United)
• Burkina Faso: Issa Kabore (Luton Town), Bertrand Traore (Aston Villa), Dango Ouattara (Bournemouth)
• Tunisia: Anis Ben Slimane (Sheffield United)
• Mali: Yves Bissouma (Tottenham), Boubacar Traore (Wolves)
• Morocco: Nayef Aguerd (West Ham), Sofyan Amrabat (Manchester United)
• DR Congo: Yoane Wissa (Brentford)

List of 18 LaLiga players going for the AFCON 2023 Tournament

With the African Cup of Nations getting underway in Ivory Coast today, we look at the key La Liga players that will be involved in the tournament. The competition is poised to bring together 18 African players from La Liga, ready to compete in the prestigious continental tournament in the Ivory Coast.

Below is a full list of La Liga players at the Africa Cup of Nations:

• Ivory Coast: Jonathan Bamba (Celta Vigo)
• Equatorial Guinea: Jesús Owono (Alavés)
• Guinea-Bissau: Marciano Sanca (Almeria)
• Senegal: Dion Lopy (Almeria), Pathe Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Youssouf Sabaly (Real Betis)
• Ghana: Idrissu Baba (Almeria), Iñaki Williams (Athletic Club),
• Mali: Hamari Traore (Real Sociedad),
• Mozambique: Reinildo (Atletico Madrid)
• Cape Verde: Bebe (Rayo Vallecano)
• Morocco: Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla), Abdel Abqar (Alavés), Abde Ezzalzouli (Real Betis), Chadi Riad (Real Betis), Selim Amallah (Valencia)
• Guinea: Mouctar Diakhaby (Valencia)
• Algeria: Aissa Mandi (Villarreal)

List of 56 French Ligue 1 Club Players going for the AFCON 2023 Tournament

A significant contingent of French players will be participating, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the event and raising concerns for some clubs and fans.

The French Ligue 1 remains the biggest league to be hit with 56 African players presently at the AFCON tournament. More than 60 players will join their respective national teams for the 2023 AFCON.

Nice will play some league matches without six African players, while Monaco, Lens, Marseille, and Strasbourg will have at least five players playing in the tournament.

• Ivory Coast: Jeremy Boga (Nice), Wilfred Singo (Monaco), Abdul Bamo Meite (Marseille), Emmanuel Agbadou (Reims), Oumar Diakite (Reims), Moise Sahi Dion (Strasbourg), Guela Doue (Rennes), Habib Maiga (Metz), and Ishmael Toure (Metz)
• Cameroon: Jean Castelletto (Nantes), Enzo Tchato (Montpellier), Christopher Wooh (Rennes),  Ignatius Ganago (Nantes), Darling Yongwa (Lorient), Frank Magri (Toulouse)
• Burkina Faso: Mamady Bangre (Toulouse)
• Guinea-Bissau: Fali Cande (Metz)
• Guinea-Bissau: Fali Cande (Metz)
• The Gambia: Ablie Jallow (Metz)
• Algeria: Hicham Boudaoui (Nice), Youcef Atal (Nice), Badredine Bouanani (Nice), Mehdi Zeffane (Clermont), (Metz),
• Senegal: Isamael Jakobs (Monaco), Krepin Diatta (Monaco), Illiman Ndiaye (Marseille), Pape Gueye (Marseille), Ismaila Sarr (Marseille), Nampalys Mendy (Lens), Mory Diaw (Clermont), Bemba Dieng (Lorient), Alfred Gomis (Lorient), Formose Mendy (Lorient), Lamine Camara (Metz), Cheikh Sabaly (Metz),
• Nigeria: Terwm Moffi (Nice), Moses Simon (Nantes)
• Morocco: Sofiane Diop (Nice), Achraf Dari (Brest), Azzedine Ounahi (Marseille), Amine Harit (Marseille), El Aynaoui (Lens), Alaa Bellaarouch (Strasbourg), Amir Richardson (Reims), Ibrahim Salah (Rennes), Yassine Kechta (Le Havre), Yanis Begraoui (Toulouse), Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain), Aiman Maurer (Clermont)
• Algeria: Bilal Brahimi (Brest), Nabil Bentaleb (Lille), Adam Ounas (Lille), Amine Gouiri (Rennes), Alexandre Oukidja (Metz), Kevin Van Den Kherkof (Metz)
• DR Congo: Chancel Mbemba (Marseille), Dimitry Bertaud (Montpellier), Samuel Moutousammy (Nantes), Gideon Kalulu (Lorient),
• Tunisia: Montassar Talbi (Lorient)
• Angola: Jeremie Bela (Clermont)
• Ghana:  Mohammed Salisu (Monaco), Abdul Salis Samed (Lens), Saidou Sow (Strasbourg), Andre Ayew (Le Havre), Ernest Nuamah (Lyon), Alidu Seydou (Clermont)
• Mali: Mohamed Camara (Monaco), Kamory Doumbia (Brest), Masadio Haidara (Lens), Ibrahima Sissoko (Strasbourg), Falaye Sacko (Montpellier), Habib Kounate (Clermont), Moussa Diara (Toulouse),
• South Africa: Lebo Mothiba (Strasbourg)
• Guinea: Morgan Guilavogui (Lens), Ibrahim Diakite (Reims), Mohammed Bayo (Le Havre), Abdoulaye Toure (Le Havre), Issiaga Sylla (Montpellier)

Frequently Asked Questions about AFCON 2023

When does the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 start?

The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on January 13, 2024, and ends with the final on February 11.