Senegal currently holds the Africa Cup of Nations title, having emerged victorious in the previous tournament by defeating Egypt in a penalty shootout in Yaoundé, Cameroon, two years ago.
Côte d’Ivoire, the host nation, has previously hosted Africa’s premier men’s football tournament in 1984 when Cameroon WON its first of five titles.
The Elephants are aiming for their third triumph, with victories in 1992 and 2015, both achieved through penalty shoot-outs in the finals against Ghana.
The AFCON 2023 has kicked off with a series of surprising results during the opening weekend.
Ivory Coast started the tournament with a victory against Guinea-Bissau, while Nigeria faced a draw against Equatorial Guinea, and Egypt secured a late goal to make it 2-2 against Mozambique with a penalty from Mohamed Salah.
Ghana experienced a setback with a loss to Cape Verde. The upcoming fixtures will witness defending champions Senegal beginning their campaign along with Algeria and Cameroon.
For four weeks, 24 nations will compete for the coveted title in African football. Morocco leads the favorites list, closely followed by Senegal, and hosts Ivory Coast, Algeria, and Nigeria.
Advancement to the knockout stage involves the top two teams from each group and the best-performing four third-placed teams.
The knockout stage is set to commence in the last-16 later this month.
Knockout stage
Last-16
Saturday, January 27
- 1: Angola 3-0 Namibia
- 2: Nigeria 2-0 Cameroon
Sunday, January 28
- 3: Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Guinea
- 4: Egypt 1-1 (7-8 pens) DR Congo
Monday, January 29
- 5: Cape Verde 1-0 Mauritania
- 6: Senegal 1-1 (4-5 pens) Ivory Coast
Tuesday, January 30
- 7: Mali 2-1 Burkina Faso
- 8: Morocco 0-2 South Africa
Quarter-finals
Friday, February 2
- 1: Nigeria 1-0 Angola
- 2: DR Congo 3-1 Guinea
Saturday, February 3
- 3: Mali 1-2 Ivory Coast (aet)
- 4: Cape Verde 0-0 S/Africa(1-2 pens)
Semi-finals
Wednesday, February 7
- 1: Nigeria 1-1 South Africa (4-2 pens)
- 2: Ivory Coast 1-0 DR Congo
Third place play-off
Saturday, February 10
South Africa vs DR Congo (Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, 8pm)
Final
Sunday, February 11
Nigeria 1-2 Ivory Coast
AFCON 2023 Fixtures, Schedule, & Live Results
Group A
Saturday, January 13
- Ivory Coast 2-0 Guinea-Bissau
Sunday, January 14
- Nigeria 1-1 Equatorial Guinea
Thursday, January 18
- Equatorial Guinea 4-2 Guinea-Bissau
- Ivory Coast 0-1 Nigeria
Monday, January 22
- Equatorial Guinea 4-0 Ivory Coast
- Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Nigeria
| Pos | Nation | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Equatorial Guinea | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +6 | 7 |
| 2 | Nigeria | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 7 |
| 3 | Ivory Coast | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 3 |
| 4 | Guinea-Bissau | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -5 | 0 |
Group B
Sunday, January 14
- Egypt 2-2 Mozambique
- Ghana 1-2 Cape Verde
Thursday, January 18
- Egypt 2-2 Ghana
Friday, January 19
- Cape Verde 3-0 Mozambique
Monday, January 22
- Cape Verde 2-2 Egypt
- Mozambique 2-2 Ghana
| Pos | Nation | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Cape Verde | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +3 | 6 |
| 2 | Egypt | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Ghana | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 2 |
| 4 | Mozambique | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -3 | 2 |
Group C
Monday, January 15
- Senegal 3-0 Gambia
- Cameroon 1-1 Guinea
Friday, January 19
- Senegal 3-1 Cameroon
- Guinea 1-0 Gambia
Tuesday, January 23
- Gambia 2-3 Cameroon
- Guinea 0-2 Senegal
| Pos | Nation | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Senegal | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +7 | 9 |
| 2 | Cameroon | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
| 3 | Guinea | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | Gambia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -5 | 0 |
Group D
Monday, January 15
- Algeria 1-1 Angola
Tuesday, January 16
- Burkina Faso 1-0 Mauritania
Saturday, January 20
- Algeria 2-2 Burkina Faso
- Mauritania 2-3 Angola
Tuesday, January 23
- Angola 2-0 Burkina Faso
- Mauritania 1-0 Algeria
| Pos | Nation | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Angola | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +3 | 7 |
| 2 | Burkina Faso | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
| 3 | Mauritania | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -1 | 3 |
| 4 | Algeria | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 2 |
Group E
Tuesday, January 16
- Tunisia 0-1 Namibia
- Mali 2-0 South Africa
Saturday, January 20
- Tunisia 1-1 Mali
Sunday, January 21
- South Africa 4-0 Namibia
Wednesday, January 24
- Namibia 0-0 Mali
- South Africa 0-0 Tunisia
| Pos | Nation | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Mali | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 5 |
| 2 | South Africa | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +2 | 4 |
| 2 | Namibia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 4 |
| 4 | Tunisia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 2 |
Group F
Wednesday, January 17
- Morocco 3-0 Tanzania
- DR Congo 1-1 Zambia
Sunday, January 21
- Morocco 1-1 DR Congo
- Zambia 1-1 Tanzania
Wednesday, January 24
- Tanzania 0-0 DR Congo
- Zambia 0-1 Morocco
| Pos | Nation | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Morocco | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 7 |
| 2 | DR Congo | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Zambia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 2 |
| 4 | Tanzania | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -3 | 2 |
Third-place ranking
The top four qualify for last-16. Teams’ level on points will be split via goal difference, then goals scored, and finally on a disciplinary tiebreaker
| Pos | Group | Nation | P | W | GD | Pts |
| 1 | C | Guinea (Q) | 3 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
| 2 | E | Namibia (Q) | 3 | 1 | -3 | 4 |
| 3 | D | Mauritania (Q) | 3 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| 4 | A | Ivory Coast (Q) | 3 | 1 | -3 | 3 |
| 5 | B | Ghana (E) | 3 | 0 | -1 | 2 |
| 6 | F | Zambia (E) | 3 | 0 | -1 | 2 |
FAQs
Where to watch the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations ?
Sky Sports, Supersport (DSTV) will broadcast all 52 matches of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 live.
The BBC will air 10 selected matches, including the opening game between host Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau on January 13, as well as both the semifinals and the final.
This extensive coverage ensures that fans will have ample opportunities to catch the excitement of the tournament, including key matches and the highly anticipated championship clash.
Why is AFCON 2023 in 2024?
Originally, Côte d’Ivoire was set to host the 2021 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, but due to circumstances, the hosting rights were shifted to Cameroon, which had earlier been stripped of hosting the 2019 edition. On January 30, 2019, CAF confirmed that Cote d’Ivoire would host the 2023 AFCON.
The COVID-19 pandemic had significant impacts, leading CAF to move the 2021 AFCON, initially scheduled in Cameroon, to 2022 while keeping the name “2021 Africa Cup of Nations” for sponsorship reasons.
Initially, CAF announced that the 2023 edition would occur from June 23 to July 23, 2023 (a year after the 2021 edition, which took place in 2022). However, this plan was later postponed due to weather conditions in Côte d’Ivoire.
How many teams are in the African Cup of Nations?
How can I watch CAF games online?
All matches of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 will be available for live streaming on CAF TV on YouTube and CAFONLINE.com.
The coverage extends to over 20 countries, with the Ivorian national channel RTI being among them.
Also, several of CAF’s broadcast partners, such as beIN Sport, Canal+, and others, will broadcast the matches, ensuring widespread access to the tournament across various platforms and regions.
Which African TV station will show AFCON 2023?
MultiChoice.
The operator of DStv and GOtv is set to broadcast the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 through its sports channel, SuperSport.
DStv, available in 54 African countries, will provide coverage to football enthusiasts in nations such as Ghana, Nigeria, Angola, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa.
This ensures that fans across a wide range of African countries will have access to live broadcasts of the tournament through the extensive reach of DStv and its sports channel SuperSport.
