AFCON 2023 Qualifying: Everything you need to know
The Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 will kick off on 13th January 2024. There are still some qualification issues to resolve before then, however.
Let’s take a look back at some of the outstanding performances by teams and individuals in recent matches, as well as the state of play in terms of who has qualified and who’s on the brink of doing so.
Here’s everything you need to know.
AFCON Qualifiers wrap: Where do we stand?
Let’s first recap a few recent highlights.
Zambia make a statement against the AFCON 2023 hosts
Zambia, crowned champions of Africa in 2012, will return to the Africa Cup of Nations after an eight-year absence following an impressive 3-0 win over Côte d’Ivoire. It’s good to see Chilopopolo back in the BIG time.
Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea book their spots
Equatorial Guinea beat Tunisia 1-0 in stoppage time to book their place at a second consecutive AFCON finals. Cape Verde joins them in the draw after their 3-1 win over Burkina Faso.
Super Eagles rally from behind to win a thriller in Monrovia
Nigeria claimed a thrilling 3-2 win away to Sierra Leone in arguably the most pulsating match of the qualifiers so far. In what turned out to be a see-saw battle in the Liberian capital, Victor Osimhen gave the 1980, 1994 and 2013 African champions a 2-0 lead, but that was wiped out by goals from Mustapha Bundu and Augustus Kargbo. Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho snatched a dramatic 95th-minute winner, which also confirmed a fourth consecutive AFCON qualification for Guinea-Bissau from the same group.
Who has qualified for AFCON 2023 so far?
Côte d’Ivoire (hosts), Morocco, Algeria, South Africa, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Egypt, Guinea, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mali.
After Tuesday’s clashes, 15 teams have qualified, so there are still 9 spots up for grabs in the showpiece tournament. Who will claim them on a dramatic final matchday in September?
Who can still qualify and what still needs to be resolved?
Groups C, E, G and I are still wide open.
In Group C, Burundi beat Namibia in a 3-2 thriller on Tuesday to put themselves right back in the frame. The only result that would see Namibia eliminated at this point, however, would be a 4-4 draw between Cameroon and Burundi on the final matchday. So, aside from that bizarre scoreline landing, it’s virtually winner-takes-all between The Swallows and the Indomitable Lions for 1 slot. This section of qualifying is going to the wire.
Black Stars must keep their cool
In Group E, Ghana, Angola and the Central African Republic must tussle for 2 places. The Black Stars know a draw against the Central African Republic will be enough for qualification, but a defeat for Ghana and a win for Angola over already-eliminated Madagascar would see the Ghanaians miss out.
Tanzania almost there
A point against 2019 champions Algeria will be enough to seal qualification for the Tanzanians from Group F. If they get to Côte d’Ivoire 2023, it would be just the third time the Taifa Stars have ever qualified for the AFCON finals.
Nailbiter in Group G
Congo and Gambia meet on the final day with just 1 of them qualifying alongside Mali. A point would be enough for Gambia, but a win for Congo would see them qualify at the expense of Gambia’s Scorpions based on their superior H2H record.
Group I will all be decided on the final matchday Mauritania on 8 points, DR Congo and Gabon with 7 apiece and Sudan on 6.
Mauritania vs Gabon and DR Congo vs Sudan are 2 fixtures to put in the diary if you want some final day drama, that’s for sure.
Who have been the best individuals in AFCON qualifying so far?
It’s no surprise to see Napoli and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen leading the goal-scoring charts with 7 strikes in qualifying to date. This is coming off the back of a stellar 26-goal season in Serie A which landed him the Capocannoniere and Napoli’s first Serie A title in 33 years.
Lightning-fast Bournemouth and Burkinabè winger Dango Ouattara has 4 goals and an assist in qualifying and is a seriously exciting talent who we’ll be watching when the Premier League is back in August.
It’s also no surprise to see the name of Bayern Munich attacker Sadio Mané up near the top of the scoring charts with 5 strikes for the Lions of Teranga. Nantes winger Moses Simon currently leads the assist charts with 3 for Nigeria.
Early favourites to win AFCON?
It’s much too early to say who could stake a claim for the BIGGEST prize in African football, but plenty of the usual suspects have already stamped their tickets. Ivory Coast won’t be easy to beat on home turf, reigning champions Senegal are still a side bristling with talent and experience and Morocco showed the world what they were capable of at Qatar 2022.
When are the final AFCON 2023 qualifiers taking place?
The last round of qualifiers will all take place on Monday 4th September, 2023.