The 34th season of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023, also known as the 2023 AFCON, kicked off on January 13 and will run until February 11, 2024.
Senegal, the current AFCON holders after beating Egypt on penalties in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde two years ago, are among the 24 teams competing in the tournament.
The teams are split into six groups of four, with the top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, advancing to the Round of 16.
The groups include:
Group A: Côte d’Ivoire; Nigeria; Equatorial Guinea; Guinea-Bissau
Group B: Egypt; Ghana; Cape Verde; Mozambique
Group C: Senegal; Cameroon; Guinea; Gambia
Group D: Algeria; Burkina Faso; Mauritania; Angola
Group E: Tunisia; Mali; South Africa; Namibia
Group F: Morocco; DR Congo; Zambia; Tanzania
Meanwhile, on Monday, the AFCON football action heated up with matches from Groups A and B.
In Group A, Senegal dominated Gambia with a convincing 3-0 victory, propelled by goals from Boulaye Dia, Ismaïla Sarr, and Cheikhou Kouyaté. This commanding performance puts them firmly at the top of the group.
Cameroon, also in Group A, faced off against Guinea in a thrilling encounter that ended in a 1-1 draw. André-Frank Zambo Anguissa opened the scoring for Cameroon, but Mamadou Kane’s equalizer in the second half ensured both teams remained winless after two matches.
Group B witnessed Algeria’s stumble in their opening match against Angola. Despite taking the lead thanks to Riyad Mahrez, the defending champions conceded a late equalizer from Ary Papel, leaving the group wide open for all teams to contend.