2023 Africa Cup of Nations will kick off today, Saturday, January 13, in Ivory Coast who is host nation.
The Host nation, Ivory Coast will be taking on Guinea-Bissau at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, commonly known as the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé in the opening game to begin the tournament.
Meanwhile,The Black Stars of Ghana who are in Group B for the competition will lock horns with the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde on Sunday, January 14, 2024, at 8:00 pm while Egypt will be taking on Mozambique.
Key games to look out for on match day 1 of 3 in the AFCON is the game between Mali and South Africa which will be on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, with Senegal’s encounter against Gambia proving to be a tricky tie for the defending champions.
Ivory Coast will play Nigeria on matchday 2 on January 18, 2024, and Senegal will be facing Cameroon who will have Manchester United Goalkeeper, Andre Onana, back in the fold before the crunch encounter.
Africa’s shining light at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Morocco will face Zambia in the final round of the group stages.
To advance to the knockout phase of the competition, a country must either top their group or come second to secure automatic qualification or finish as one of the best-ranked third-placed teams.
Also, the rules of qualification show that the country must have a superior point advantage or or bigger goal difference. If tied, then CAF will consider the number of goals scored before disciplinary points and drawing of lots if nothing can separate the best third-placed teams.
