The 34th Africa Cup of Nations is set to kick off in Ivory Coast on January 13th, rescheduled from 2023 due to West Africa’s rainy season. The Afcon 2023 edition will run up to February 11th.
Defending champions Senegal, led by star player Sadio Mane, seek to maintain their title after triumphing in Cameroon in February 2022. Their maiden victory came when the Teranga Lions beat Egypt 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out following a 0-0 draw in the final.
Though officially named the 2023 edition, this tournament was postponed to avoid the rainy season.
Of the 24 competing nations, Senegal is among 15 previous winners, with Ghana, Cameroon, and Egypt being the only sides to retain the title in AFCON history.
Here are some key highlights, as well as the finalized list of the 24 competing teams:
Teams Qualified for AFCON 2023:
Notably, the majority of top FIFA-ranked African nations secured their spots at the tournament. However, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon is notably absent.
Tanzania, ranked lowest at 122, made it through, but none of the six preliminary-round qualifiers progressed beyond the group stages. In total, the tournament will therefore feature a total of 24 teams from the African continent.
Notable Teams at AFCON 2023:
- Algeria (Champions: 1990, 2019)
- Cameroon (Champions: 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017)
- Egypt (Champions: 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010)
- Nigeria (Champions: 1980, 1994, 2013)
- Senegal (Champions: 2021)
- South Africa (Champions: 1996)
- Tunisia (Champions: 2004)
Premier League Players at the 2023 edition:
Several Premier League clubs will experience absences due to AFCON participation. Here’s a breakdown by club:
AFC Bournemouth – 2
- Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso)
- Antoine Semenyo (Ghana)
Arsenal – 1
- Mohamed Elneny (Egypt)
Aston Villa – 1
- Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso)
Brentford – 2
- Frank Onyeka (Nigeria)
- Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)
Brighton – 1
- Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast)
Burnley – 0
Chelsea – 1
- Nicolas Jackson (Senegal)
Crystal Palace – 1
- Jordan Ayew (Ghana)
Everton – 1
- Idrissa Gueye (Senegal)
Fulham – 3
- Fode Ballo-Toure (Senegal)
- Calvin Bassey (Nigeria)
- Alex Iwobi (Nigeria)
Liverpool – 1
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
Luton – 1
- Issa Kabore (Burkina Faso)
Manchester City – 0
Manchester United – 3
- Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco)
- Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast)
- Andre Onana (Cameroon)
Newcastle – 0
Nottingham Forest – 6
- Ola Aina (Nigeria)
- Serge Aurier (Ivory Coast)
- Willy Boly (Ivory Coast)
- Cheikhou Kouyate (Senegal)
- Moussa Niakhate (Senegal)
- Ibrahim Sangare (Ivory Coast)
Sheffield United – 2
- Yasser Larouci (Algeria)
- Anis Ben Slimane (Tunisia)
Tottenham – 2
- Yves Bissouma (Mali)
- Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)
West Ham – 2
- Nayef Aguerd (Morocco)
- Mohammed Kudus (Ghana)
Wolves – 2
- Rayan Ait-Nouri (Algeria)
- Boubacar Traore (Mali)
Players missing from the tournament
Various players faced injuries, exclusions, or were named in provisional squads but not in the final rosters for the tournament.
Notable absences include Thomas Partey of Arsenal who was left out of Ghana’s squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) because of injury. Partey, 30, has been out since October with a hamstring problem.
Also missing is Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo who was named in Cameroon’s provisional squad list but is not in the final squad announced on 28 December after sustaining an ankle injury.
AFC Bournemouth
- Hamed Traore (Ivory Coast) – contracted malaria
Arsenal
- Thomas Partey (Ghana) – hamstring problem
Brentford
- Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroun) – ankle injury
Burnley
- Lyle Foster (South Africa) – recurrent mental health issue
Brighton and Hove Albion
- Samy Chouchane (Tunisia) – named in the provisional squad but missing in the final list
Crystal Palace
- Cheick Doucoure (Mali) – injury
Luton Town
- Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu (DR Congo) – named in the provisional squad but missing in the final list
Manchester United
- Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia) – named in the provisional squad but missing in the final list after asking to be left out.
Sheffield United
- Benie Traore (Ivory Coast) – named in the provisional squad but missing in the final list
West Ham United
- Said Benrahma (Algeria) – named in the provisional squad but missing in the final list
- Maxwel Cornet (Ivory Coast) – named in the provisional squad but missing in the final list
AFCON 2023 Prize Money
According to Senegal’s Sadio Mane, this will be one of the toughest tournaments he has ever experienced.
Therefore, all eyes will be glued to televisions across the globe to see who walks away with the prestigious trophy. It will also be a chance for teams to grab the bragging rights for Africa. Also up for grabs will be the cash prizes for the tournament winners.
In a significant move, the Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) has also increased the Prize Money by 40% for the Winner of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (“AFCON”) 2023.
The Winner of the AFCON 2023 edition will thus be receiving a whopping USD 7,000,000.
The Runner-up of the tournament will also get USD 4,000,000, while each of the two Semi-finalists will receive USD 2,500,000.
Each of the four Quarter-finalists will also walk away with USD 1,300,000.
This will be one of the toughest tournaments
Sadio Mane, Senegal
