CAF Announces 2023 AFCON Calendar, Tournament Begins January 2024
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Thursday unveiled the calendar for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire which begins in January 2024, reports Prime Business Africa.
The tournament was billed for the summer of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations but later moved back for a number of reasons comprising weather conditions and the country’s ongoing works on facilities.
After the just concluded round of fixtures in the AFCON qualifiers, hosts Cote d’Ivoire and four other teams have already qualified for the tournament- Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, and Senegal.
Nigeria failed to seal their automatic spot in Cote D’Ivoire with the available six points from their double-header against Guinea-Bissau but would have to wait until the next round of matches in the qualification campaign.
The Eagles won one and lost the other on two-legged fixtures against the ‘Wild Dogs’
Nonetheless, the Super Eagles are still favourites to qualify from group A as they sit atop with nine points and two games left.
Nigeria play Sierra Leone next in June, and a draw would seal their spot at the 2023 AFCON.
Ahead of the competition, CAF has revealed the schedule for the tournament. The group stage draw will take place in September after the final round of qualifying games.
The Super Eagles could be one of the top seeds because of they are the 5th best team in Africa according to FIFA. As such, they could get an easy draw in the first round.
The competition will kick off on the 13th of January at the Alassane Ouattara stadium in Abidjan. Then the final will be played just 29 days later.
The last time Cote D’Ivoire hosted the AFCON was in 1984, and Nigeria finished second. But Coach Jose Peseiro has stated that he wants to win the competition next year. The Super Eagles boast of a lot of quality, but if Peseiro wants to achieve his aim, he would have to improve on the team.
