THIS Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is actually being held early this year, but it’s as eagerly anticipated as ever with the top footballing nations from the continent all heading to Cote d’Ivoire.
The host nation will hope to compete with AFCON heavyweights, such as Senegal, Egypt and Ghana, while Morocco are full of hope after a strong showing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Who will walk away with the trophy at the end of it all? We’ll find out over the course of a month’s engrossing action.
The Sporting News has you covered when it comes to the tournament schedule, bracket and group standings, with results and fixtures updated below after every single game day. It should be a fascinating few weeks.
AFCON 2023 Format And Rules
THERE are 24 teams competing in this iteration of the Africa Cup of Nations, split into six groups of four.
With the knockout stages starting with a Round of 16- and being one-off straight knockout ties- that means that, as well as the top two from each group, four of the best third-placed teams in the groups will also get a knockout spot.
In the event that two teams are locked on the same points, their placing will be determined on:
*Points in the head-to-head match between the two tied teams
*Goal difference in the group
*Goals scored overall in the group
*Drawing of lots.
In the knockout stages, games will go to 30 minutes of extra time and then penalties if the teams cannot be separated.
There will also be a third-place playoff between the two losing semifinalists to determine who gets the bronze medal.
AFCON Fixtures, Results, Schedule And Group Tables
THE qualification process for the tournament, which is known as AFCON 2023, but is taking place in 2024, was finalised by mid-September 2023.
Host, Cote d’Ivoire were automatically placed in Group A, with the final qualifiers being Namibia.
Here’s how the groups ended up being drawn, with results and standings updated regularly:
Group A Table
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Ivory Coast | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nigeria | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
Results/fixtures
*January 13: Ivory Coast 2-0 Guinea-Bissau
*January 14: Nigeria 1-1 Equatorial Guinea
*January 18: Equatorial Guinea vs. Guinea-Bissau
*January 18: Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria
*January 22: Equatorial Guinea vs. Ivory Coast
*January 22: Guinea-Bissau vs. Nigeria
Group B
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Cape Verde | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| Egypt | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mozambique | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ghana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
Results/Fixtures
*January 14: Egypt 2-2 Mozambique
*January 14: Ghana 1-2 Cape Verde
*January 18: Egypt vs. Ghana
*January 19: Cape Verde vs. Mozambique
*January 22: Cape Verde vs. Egypt
*January 22: Mozambique vs. Ghana
Group C
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Senegal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 3 |
| Cameroon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Guinea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gambia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 0 |
Results/Fixtures
*January 15: Senegal 3-0 Gambia
*January 15: Cameroon vs. Guinea
*January 19: Senegal vs. Cameroon
*January 19: Guinea vs. Gambia
*January 23: Gambia vs. Cameroon
*January 23: Guinea vs. Senegal
Group D
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Algeria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Angola | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Burkina Faso | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mauritania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Results/Fixtures
*January 15: Algeria vs. Angola
*January 16: Burkina Faso vs. Mauritania
*January 20: Algeria vs. Burkina Faso
*January 20: Mauritania vs. Angola
*January 23: Angola vs. Burkina Faso
*January 23: Mauritania vs. Algeria
Group E
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Mali | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Namibia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Africa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tunisia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Results/Fixtures
*January 16: Tunisia vs. Namibia
*January 16: Mali vs. South Africa
*January 20: Tunisia vs. Mali
*January 21: South Africa vs. Namibia
*January 24: Namibia vs. Mali
*January 24: South Africa vs. Tunisia
Group F
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Morocco | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DR Congo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zambia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tanzania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Results/Fixtures
*January 17: Morocco vs. Tanzania
*January 17: DR Congo vs. Zambia
*January 21: Zambia vs. Tanzania
*January 21: Morocco vs. DR Congo
*January 24: Tanzania vs. DR Congo
*January 24: Zambia vs. Morocco
AFCON Knockout Stage Schedule And Fixtures
Round of 16 fixtures
| Date | Match |
| January 27 | Group A runner-up vs. Group C runner-up |
| January 27 | Group D winner vs. third-place finisher |
| January 28 | Group B runner-up vs. Group F runner-up |
| January 28 | Group A winner vs. third-place finisher |
| January 29 | Group B winner vs. third-place finisher |
| January 29 | Group C winner vs. third-place finisher |
| January 30 | Group F winner vs. Group E runner-up |
| January 30 | Group E winner vs. Group D runner-up |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Match |
| February 2 | Round of 16 winner 1 vs. Round of 16 winner 1 |
| February 2 | Round of 16 winner 3 vs. Round of 16 winner 4 |
| February 3 | Round of 16 winner 5 vs. Round of 16 winner 6 |
| February 3 | Round of 16 winner 7 vs. Round of 16 winner 8 |
Semifinals And Third-Place Playoff
THE semifinals will take both place on February 7, while the third-place playoff, between the two losing semifinalists, will be held on February 10.
Final
THE tournament concludes with the final in Abidjan, the country’s capital city, on February 11.
(Culled from The Sporting News)
