African Cup of Nations 2023 Preview
African Football’s biannual showpiece kicks off in just about two weeks in Ivory Coast (Note: this AFCON was supposed to take place in June 2023 but got moved to Janurary 2024 due to weather conditions at the time, hence AFCON 2023 played in ‘24). On 13th January, Africa shows off its very best to the world. This year’s edition will mark 66 years since it’s first in 1957.
The African Cup of Nations is a ruthless tournament where simply having a team of world class players means almost nothing. It never fails to disappoint; from off-the-pitch drama to ‘memeworthy’ moments, to shocking upsets, all of which make the tournament unique and why I always look forward to it. African football has always been touted as ‘undeveloped’ and ‘archaic, despite producing amazing players. As an African, I want our football to be at it’s best, not the same as the Europeans or South Americans but distinctive and worth being proud of.
I will be previewing the tournament and making some predictions. African pride is on the line. Let’s get stuck in.
This year’s tournament follows the usual format: 24 teams in 6 groups of 4 teams; the first and second-placed teams, automatically qualify to the Round of 16, and the four best third-placed teams join the rest.
For the first time since AFCON 2015, there will be no debutants in the competition. The host nation Ivory Coast are automatic favourites given their calibre, can they host and win? Senegal go into the tournament as defending champions and have their work cut out for them in retaining their title. Morocco are definitely ones to watch after a sensational World Cup performance and will look to win the competition with their last title being all the back way in 1976.
Underachievers
The first team I believe will underachieve is Ghana which pains me to admit as a Ghanaian but the truth is, they don’t look like a team that can compete. They crashed out of the last AFCON in the first round in embarrassing fashion, losing to then debutants Comoros, and finishing last in their group. The Black Stars had a nervy qualifying campaign sealing qualification on the last matchday in a group they were expected to dominate. They did not lose a single match but on the pitch were unconvincing and scrapped their way to qualification. Despite their abundance of talent, the Black Stars have suffered from numerous issues behind the scenes, which is having an effect their performances on the pitch. The Black Stars go into this year’s AFCON with the experienced Chris Hughton leading them in his first ever major tournament as head coach. Hughton will be looking to make an impact and win back the hearts of a nation that has had to endure subpar performances from their team and are running out of patience. The Black Stars will have starboy Mohammed Kudus, the in-form Inaki Williams, and the experienced Andre and Jordan Ayew. However, they will be missing Thomas Partey who just recovered from an injury and in-form youngster Fatawu Issahaku who has opted out of the tournament. Ghana are in Group B with Egypt, Cape Verde and Mozambique, and are on paper, favourites alongside Egypt to qualify out of the group. They will be tested in every way if they want to make it out of the group and into the knockout stages.
The Super Eagles go into the tournament as favourites while boasting an incredible arsenal of attackers with Napoli star Victor Osimhen leading the way. Nigeria breezed through the qualification winning 5 and losing one out of their 6 games, scoring an impressive 22 goals, and topping their group. Goalscoring will clearly not be an issue for this team, but their a shortage of creative midfielders and creativity in the final third could be their potential downfall. In the last AFCON, Nigeria were knocked out in the round of 16 by Tunisia who were compact defensively and relied on counter-attacks. The Super Eagles lacked the creativity to break down the tenacious Tunisians and in the end were sent packing. The Super Eagles are in Group A alongside host nation Ivory Coast, Equitorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. In this year’s tournament, they have Portuguese head coach Jose Peseiro who is also making his AFCON debut. Nigerians will be expecting nothing but the best from him and his team. Getting out of the group should be no problem for the Super Eagles. Hopefully, they have a few tricks up their sleeve in breaking down these defensive sides.
Under The Radar
South Africa are a team that could spring a surprise in this tournament. They make a return to the continental stage after missing out in 2021. Bafana Bafana have looked an improved side under head coach Hugo Broos; well-organised and capable of scoring goals, though they have their moments. I don’t think they’ll go far into the competition but I wouldn’t write them off either. I expect them to give everything.
Zambia is another team to watch out for this year. Just like South Africa, they missed out on the last edition. They go into the tournament with head coach Avram Grant, who took Ghana all the way to the final in 2015. The Chipolopolo (meaning “Copper Bullets”) eased their way through qualification by winning 5 and drawing one, scoring 12 goals and topping the group ahead of host nation Ivory Coast. They have goals in their team and will by counting on in-form Leicester City striker Patson Daka. They also have a coach who has had success in the tournament. Zambia sit in what some will call the “Group of Death”- Group F alongside DR Congo, Morocco, and Tanzania. I have no idea how this group could play out but expect some upsets. The Zambians are definitely one to keep an eye on.
Dark-Horses
The Malians go into every AFCON as the dark-horses and have never won it or gone far enough. In the last AFCON, they were knocked out by Equitorial Guinea in the round of 16 via penalties. Their farthest finishes in the Africa Cup of Nations have been third place finishes in 2012 and 2013. In my opinion Mali are a mixed bag, you have high expectations of them and yet they disappoint. I still wouldn’t count them out as dark-horses this year. Mali have an amazing reputation at the youth level with their U-17 side going all the way to the semi-final of the recent U-17 World Cup. They are a “wonderkid” factory and their future is in good hands. Going into this tournament Mali are not lacking in quality with the likes of Yves Bissouma, El Bilal Toure, Amadou Haidara, and many others headlining the team. Watch out for Mali.
The Algerians were title winners in 2019 after beating Senegal. At AFCON 2021 however, they made a shock exit from the group stage losing to Ivory Coast and Equitorial Guinea, and drawing Sierra Leone; they finished rock bottom of their group. They failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and now will look to compete again for the AFCON title. The Fennec Foxes had a strong qualification campaign winning five and drawing one out of their six matches. They go into this tournament with familiar faces like Islam Slimani, Riyadh Mahrez, Houssem Aouar, Ismael Bennacer, and newboy Ryan Ait-Nouri. The Algerians are not on the minds of many as potential contenders but expect them to put up a fight. Keep an eye on Algeria.
Cameroon where the host nation at the last AFCON and nearly went all the way to the final but ended up losing to finalists Egypt, and beating Burkina Faso to finish third. The Indomitable Lions are considered a “typical AFCON team” for their solid defence, resilience, and power in attack. It is no surprise that they are always considered favourites. Cameroon had topped their qualification group without having to play all their matches due to postponements. They won two, drawn one, and lost one out of their 4 games. At the tournament, they parade their very best in star striker Vincent Aboubakar, Napoli midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana. Their most notable absentees being Bayern Munich striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting who was dropped, and Brentford’s Bryan Mbuemo who misses out due to injury. However, highly-rated youngster Wilfried Nathan Doualla gets his debut call-up and is one to watch. Cameroon are in Group C with Gambia, Guinea and defending champions Senegal, that is a very fun group. This team always means business at AFCON, watch out for the Indomitable Lions.
The Egyptians will be one to watch this year at AFCON, as dark-horses and potential winners. Egypt is currently the most successful team in the tournament winning it a record SEVEN times with an impressive three consecutive titles in 2006, 2008, and 2010. The Pharaohs were unfortunate not to make it title number eight at the last edition where they lost to Senegal in a thrilling final. Egypt will be counting on the world class Mohammed Salah leading their attack for goals. They also have the likes of Mahmoud Trezeguet, Ahmed Hegazi and Mahmoud Kahraba. They sit in Group B with Ghana, Mozambique and Cape Verde. The Egyptians along with their North African counterparts are known for being very difficult to break down. This team does not know defeat so expect them to fight till the final whistle in every match.
Title Contenders
Morocco off the back of a semi-final berth in the 2022 FIFA World Cup will look to continue their dominance in African football with an AFCON trophy. At the last AFCON, they made it as far as the quarterfinals before getting eliminated by Egypt. Could this be their year? Morocco have a stacked team with the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Yassine Bounou, Sofyan Amrabat and the recently recruited Brahim Diaz, the list goes on. The Moroccans are in Group F with DR Congo, Zambia and Tanzania. The Atlas Lions are by far the obvious favourites.
Senegal have been on the up in recent years and they keep making strides in improving their football. The Teranga Lions are have a gargantuan task on their hands in their title defence. Senegal are not short of quality with Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly, Pape Matar Sarr, Illiman Ndiaye and others leading the charge. As we’ve seen in previous AFCONs, defending an AFCON title is never easy. They have a target on their backs and teams will be looking to get them out of the way. The defending champions sit in Group C with Guinea, Cameroon, and Gambia. That’s a tricky group, let’s see how they manage.
Ivory Coast the host nation carry the high expectations of Ivorians on their backs going into the tournament. As the hosts, they are expected to go deep into the tournament and potentially win it. The Ivorians like their fellow title contenders have a lot of star-power in Sebastien Haller, Sekou Fofana, Simon Adingra and others. The Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire find themselves in Group A with Nigeria, Equitorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau (Ivory Coast vs Nigeria will be an all-time African classic, definitely a must-watch). They should have no trouble making it out of their group. The real litmus test like their fellow competitors, will be deep into the knockout rounds.
Closing
To end this, I’m very excited for the African Cup of Nations. I expect the quality of football to keep improving as we’ve seen year after year. Expect absolute cinema, ‘football heritage’, and iconic moments.
Happpy New Year.
