The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be held in the Ivory Coast at the start of 2024 with the hope of improving upon the previous edition of the tournament.
Senegal defeated Egypt in a penalty shootout to win the nation’s first-ever continental title but the tournament was overshadowed by the Olembe Stadium tragedy which claimed the lives of eight people in a crush outside the ground.
Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe claimed that the 2023 AFCON “will be the best” in the history of a competition which dates back to 1957.
Here’s everything you need to know about the qualification process for this continental contest.
Unlike its European counterpart, which is confusingly entangled with the UEFA Nations League, qualification for the 2023 AFCON is very straight forward.
After a preliminary round of two-legged fixtures between the 12 lowest-ranked teams in the federation, 48 nations were split into 12 groups of four. Each team played every opponent in their group twice – once on home soil and again on the road – collecting three points for a win, one for a draw and none if they lost.
The two nations that topped the mini-table of each group booked their place for the competition proper, eliminating the need for play-offs.
Kenya and Zimbabwe were both disqualified before the qualification process got underway while serving FIFA suspensions owing to “undue interference by a third party”.
Qualification for the finals in the Ivory Coast began 19 months before the opening game of the actual tournament.
The qualifying games were split across six matchdays, beginning in June 2022 before wrapping up in September 2023.
Group A
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Nigeria |
6 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
18 |
15 |
|
2. |
Guinea-Bissau |
6 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
13 |
|
3. |
Sierra Leone |
6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
-1 |
5 |
|
4. |
Sao Tome and Principe |
6 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
-23 |
1 |
Group A fixtures
|
Match |
Date |
Time (UK) |
|---|---|---|
|
Guinea-Bissau 5-1 Sao Tome and Principe |
09/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Nigeria 2-1 Sierra Leone |
09/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Sao Tome and Principe 0-10 Nigeria |
13/06/22 |
14:00 |
|
Sierra Leone 2-2 Guinea-Bissau |
13/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Sierra Leone 2-2 Sao Tome and Principe |
22/03/23 |
16:00 |
|
Nigeria 0-1 Guinea-Bissau |
24/03/23 |
16:00 |
|
Sao Tome and Principe 0-1 Guinea-Bissau |
26/03/23 |
17:00 |
|
Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Nigeria |
27/03/23 |
17:00 |
|
Sao Tome and Principe 0-1 Guinea-Bissau |
14/06/23 |
17:00 |
|
Sierra Leone 2-3 Nigeria |
18/06/23 |
17:00 |
|
Nigeria 6-0 Sao Tome and Principe |
10/09/23 |
17:00 |
|
Guinea-Bissau 2-1 Sierra Leone |
11/09/23 |
17:00 |
Group B
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Burkina Faso |
6 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
11 |
|
2. |
Cape Verde |
6 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
10 |
|
3. |
Togo |
6 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
8 |
|
4. |
Eswatini |
6 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
-5 |
3 |
Group B fixtures
|
Match |
Date |
Time (UK) |
|---|---|---|
|
Togo 2-2 Eswatini |
03/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Burkina Faso 2-0 Cape Verde |
03/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
Eswatini 1-3 Burkina Faso |
07/06/22 |
14:00 |
|
Cape Verde 2-0 Togo |
07/06/22 |
18:30 |
|
Cape Verde 0-0 Eswatini |
24/03/23 |
16:00 |
|
Burkina Faso 1-0 Togo |
24/03/23 |
19:00 |
|
Eswatini 0-1 Cape Verde |
28/03/23 |
14:00 |
|
Togo 1-1 Burkina Faso |
28/03/23 |
20:00 |
|
Eswatini 0-2 Togo |
18/06/23 |
16:00 |
|
Cape Verde 3-1 Burkina Faso |
18/06/23 |
17:00 |
|
Burkina Faso 0-0 Eswatini |
08/09/23 |
20:00 |
|
Togo 3-2 Cape Verde |
10/09/23 |
17:00 |
Group C
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Cameroon |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
7 |
|
2. |
Namibia |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
|
3. |
Burundi |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
-3 |
4 |
|
4. |
Kenya |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Group C fixtures
|
Match |
Date |
Time (UK) |
|---|---|---|
|
Namibia 1-1 Burundi |
04/06/22 |
14:00 |
|
Cameroon vs Kenya |
04/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Kenya vs Namibia |
08/06/22 |
14:00 |
|
Burundi 0-1 Cameroon |
09/06/22 |
14:00 |
|
Kenya vs Burundi |
19/09/22 |
N/A |
|
Burundi vs Kenya |
27/09/22 |
N/A |
|
Kenya vs Cameroon |
20/03/23 |
N/A |
|
Cameroon 1-1 Namibia |
24/03/23 |
20:30 |
|
Namibia 2-1 Cameroon |
28/03/23 |
14:00 |
|
Namibia vs Kenya |
28/03/23 |
N/A |
|
Burundi 3-2 Namibia |
20/06/23 |
14:00 |
|
Cameroon 3-0 Burundi |
12/09/23 |
20:00 |
Group D
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Egypt |
6 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
15 |
|
2. |
Guinea |
6 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
10 |
|
3. |
Malawi |
6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
-6 |
5 |
|
4. |
Ethiopia |
6 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
-3 |
4 |
Group D fixtures
|
Match |
Date |
Time (UK) |
|---|---|---|
|
Malawi 2-1 Ethiopia |
05/06/22 |
14:00 |
|
Egypt 1-0 Guinea |
05/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
Ethiopia 2-0 Egypt |
09/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Guinea 1-0 Malawi |
09/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Egypt 2-0 Malawi |
24/03/23 |
19:00 |
|
Guinea 2-0 Ethiopia |
24/03/23 |
20:30 |
|
Ethiopia 2-3 Guinea |
27/03/23 |
20:00 |
|
Malawi 0-4 Egypt |
28/03/23 |
14:00 |
|
Guinea 1-2 Egypt |
14/06/23 |
19:00 |
|
Ethiopia 0-0 Malawi |
20/06/23 |
15:00 |
|
Egypt 1-0 Ethiopia |
08/09/23 |
17:00 |
|
Malawi 2-2 Guinea |
09/09/23 |
14:00 |
Group E
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Ghana |
6 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
5 |
12 |
|
2. |
Angola |
6 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
|
3. |
Central African Republic |
6 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
7 |
|
4. |
Madagascar |
6 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
-8 |
3 |
Group E fixtures
|
Match |
Date |
Time (UK) |
|---|---|---|
|
Angola 2-1 Central African Republic |
01/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Ghana 3-0 Madagascar |
01/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
Madagascar 1-1 Angola |
05/06/22 |
14:00 |
|
Central African Republic 1-1 Ghana |
05/06/22 |
14:00 |
|
Madagascar 0-3 Central African Republic |
23/03/23 |
13:00 |
|
Ghana 1-0 Angola |
23/03/23 |
16:00 |
|
Central African Republic 2-0 Madagascar |
27/03/23 |
14:00 |
|
Angola 1-1 Ghana |
27/03/23 |
17:00 |
|
Central African Republic 1-2 Angola |
17/06/23 |
14:00 |
|
Madagascar 0-0 Ghana |
18/06/23 |
15:00 |
|
Angola 0-0 Madagascar |
07/09/23 |
17:00 |
|
Ghana 2-1 Central African Republic |
07/09/23 |
17:00 |
Group F
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Algeria |
6 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
16 |
|
2. |
Tanzania |
6 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
-1 |
8 |
|
3. |
Uganda |
6 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
-1 |
7 |
|
4. |
Niger |
6 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
-5 |
2 |
Group F fixtures
|
Match |
Date |
Time (UK) |
|---|---|---|
|
Niger 1-1 Tanzania |
04/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Algeria 2-0 Uganda |
04/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
Uganda 1-1 Niger |
08/06/22 |
14:00 |
|
Tanzania 0-2 Algeria |
08/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Algeria 2-1 Niger |
23/03/23 |
21:00 |
|
Uganda 0-1 Tanzania |
24/03/23 |
14:00 |
|
Niger 0-1 Algeria |
27/03/23 |
17:00 |
|
Tanzania 0-1 Uganda |
28/03/23 |
18:00 |
|
Tanzania 1-0 Niger |
18/06/23 |
14:00 |
|
Uganda 1-2 Algeria |
18/06/23 |
16:00 |
|
Niger 0-2 Uganda |
07/09/23 |
20:00 |
|
Algeria 0-0 Tanzania |
07/09/23 |
20:00 |
Group G
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Mali |
6 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
13 |
15 |
|
2. |
Gambia |
6 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
10 |
|
3. |
Congo |
6 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
-5 |
7 |
|
4. |
South Sudan |
6 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
-8 |
3 |
Group G fixtures
|
Match |
Date |
Time (UK) |
|---|---|---|
|
Gambia 1-0 South Sudan |
04/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Mali 4-0 Congo |
04/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
Congo 1-0 Gambia |
08/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
South Sudan 1-3 Mali |
09/06/22 |
14:00 |
|
Congo 1-2 South Sudan |
23/03/23 |
16:00 |
|
Mali 2-0 Gambia |
24/03/23 |
19:00 |
|
South Sudan 0-1 Congo |
27/03/23 |
14:00 |
|
Gambia 1-0 Mali |
28/03/23 |
17:00 |
|
South Sudan 2-3 Gambia |
14/06/23 |
14:00 |
|
Congo 0-2 Mali |
18/06/23 |
17:00 |
|
Mali 4-0 South Sudan |
08/09/23 |
20:00 |
|
Gambia 2-2 Congo |
10/09/23 |
20:00 |
Group H
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Zambia |
6 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
13 |
|
2. |
Ivory Coast |
6 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
13 |
|
3. |
Comoros |
6 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
-2 |
7 |
|
4. |
Lesotho |
6 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
-8 |
1 |
Group H fixtures
|
Match |
Date |
Time (UK) |
|---|---|---|
|
Comoros 2-0 Lesotho |
03/06/22 |
14:00 |
|
Ivory Coast 3-1 Zambia |
03/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
Zambia 2-1 Comoros |
07/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Lesotho 0-0 Ivory Coast |
09/06/22 |
18:00 |
|
Zambia 3-1 Lesotho |
23/03/23 |
16:00 |
|
Ivory Coast 3-1 Comoros |
24/03/23 |
16:00 |
|
Lesotho 0-2 Zambia |
26/03/23 |
14:00 |
|
Comoros 0-2 Ivory Coast |
28/03/23 |
20:00 |
|
Zambia 3-0 Ivory Coast |
17/06/23 |
14:00 |
|
Lesotho 0-1 Comoros |
17/06/23 |
15:00 |
|
Ivory Coast 1-0 Lesotho |
09/09/23 |
17:00 |
|
Comoros 1-1 Zambia |
09/09/23 |
20:00 |
Group I
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
DR Congo |
6 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
12 |
|
2. |
Mauritania |
6 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
10 |
|
3. |
Gabon |
6 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
-2 |
7 |
|
4. |
Sudan |
6 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
-7 |
6 |
Group I fixtures
|
Match |
Date |
Time (UK) |
|---|---|---|
|
Mauritania 3-0 Sudan |
04/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
DR Congo 0-1 Gabon |
04/06/22 |
21:00 |
|
Gabon 0-0 Mauritania |
08/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Sudan 2-1 DR Congo |
08/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
Gabon 1-0 Sudan |
23/03/23 |
19:00 |
|
DR Congo 3-1 Mauritania |
24/03/23 |
13:00 |
|
Sudan 1-0 Gabon |
27/03/23 |
21:00 |
|
Mauritania 1-1 DR Congo |
28/03/23 |
23:00 |
|
Gabon 0-2 DR Congo |
18/06/23 |
19:00 |
|
Sudan 0-3 Mauritania |
20/06/23 |
19:00 |
|
DR Congo 2-0 Sudan |
09/09/23 |
17:00 |
|
Mauritania 2-1 Gabon |
09/09/23 |
17:00 |
Group J
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Tunisia |
6 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
10 |
13 |
|
2. |
Equatorial Guinea |
6 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
13 |
|
3. |
Botswana |
6 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
-6 |
4 |
|
4. |
Libya |
6 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
-6 |
4 |
Group J fixtures
|
Match |
Date |
Time (UK) |
|---|---|---|
|
Libya 1-0 Botswana |
01/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Tunisia 4-0 Equatorial Guinea |
02/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
Botswana 0-0 Tunisia |
05/06/22 |
14:00 |
|
Equatorial Guinea 2-0 Libya |
06/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
Equatorial Guinea 2-0 Botswana |
24/03/23 |
19:00 |
|
Tunisia 3-0 Libya |
24/03/23 |
20:30 |
|
Botswana 2-3 Equatorial Guinea |
28/03/23 |
14:00 |
|
Libya 0-1 Tunisia |
28/03/23 |
21:00 |
|
Equatorial Guinea 1-0 Tunisia |
17/06/23 |
16:00 |
|
Botswana 1-0 Libya |
17/06/23 |
17:00 |
|
Libya 1-1 Equatorial Guinea |
06/09/23 |
20:00 |
|
Tunisia 3-0 Botswana |
07/09/23 |
20:00 |
Group K
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
South Africa |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
|
2. |
Morocco |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
|
3. |
Liberia |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
-3 |
1 |
|
4. |
Zimbabwe |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Group K fixtures
|
Match |
Date |
Time (UK) |
|---|---|---|
|
Zimbabwe vs Liberia |
09/06/22 |
N/A |
|
Morocco 2-1 South Africa |
09/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
South Africa vs Zimbabwe |
13/06/22 |
N/A |
|
Liberia 0-2 Morocco |
13/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
Morocco vs Zimbabwe |
19/09/22 |
N/A |
|
Zimbabwe vs Morocco |
27/09/22 |
N/A |
|
Liberia vs Zimbabwe |
20/03/23 |
N/A |
|
South Africa 2-2 Liberia |
24/03/23 |
16:00 |
|
Zimbabwe vs South Africa |
28/03/23 |
N/A |
|
Liberia 1-2 South Africa |
28/03/23 |
17:00 |
|
South Africa 2-1 Morocco |
17/06/23 |
16:00 |
|
Morocco P-P Liberia |
09/09/23 |
20:00 |
Group L
|
Position |
Nation |
Played |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Goal difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Senegal |
6 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
8 |
14 |
|
2. |
Mozambique |
6 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
-1 |
10 |
|
3. |
Benin |
6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
-1 |
5 |
|
4. |
Rwanda |
6 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
-6 |
3 |
Group L fixtures
|
Match |
Date |
Time (UK) |
|---|---|---|
|
Mozambique 1-1 Rwanda |
02/06/22 |
17:00 |
|
Senegal 3-1 Benin |
04/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
Rwanda 0-1 Senegal |
07/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
Benin 0-1 Mozambique |
08/06/22 |
20:00 |
|
Benin 1-1 Rwanda |
22/03/23 |
16:00 |
|
Senegal 51 Mozambique |
24/03/23 |
19:00 |
|
Mozambique 0-1 Senegal |
28/03/23 |
17:00 |
|
Rwanda 0-3 Benin |
29/03/23 |
14:00 |
|
Benin 1-1 Senegal |
17/06/23 |
20:00 |
|
Rwanda 0-2 Mozambique |
18/06/23 |
14:00 |
|
Mozambique 3-2 Benin |
09/09/23 |
14:00 |
|
Senegal 1-1 Rwanda |
09/09/23 |
20:00 |
|
Player |
Country |
Goals |
|---|---|---|
|
Victor Osimhen |
Nigeria |
10 |
|
Louis Mafouta |
Central African Republic |
5 |
|
Patson Daka |
Zambia |
5 |
|
Youssef Msakni |
Tunisia |
5 |
|
Sadio Mane |
Senegal |
5 |
|
Dango Ouattara |
Burkina Faso |
4 |
|
Peter Shalulile |
Namibia |
4 |
Confusingly enough, AFCON 2023 begins in 2024. The tournament was originally scheduled for the Northern Hemisphere summer of 2023 but had to be pushed back to avoid the Ivory Coast rainy season. “We cannot take the risk,” Motsepe warned.
The rescheduled tournament will instead take place between 13 January and 11 February 2024, right in the middle of the 2023/24 club season for most of Europe.
After a public tender, it was decided the tournament would be held in six different stadiums dotted around five Ivorian cities; Abidjan, San Pedro, Yamoussoukro, Bouake and Korhogo.
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