5 Dark Horses for Claim the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Title, South Africa Ranks Top

• South Africa and Mali have been picked as outsiders for AFCON 2023
• Bafana Bafana will contend for Africa’s top prize with 23 other teams
• The 34th edition of the tourney kicks off in Ivory Coast on January 13

Africa is getting set for its biggest football competition, the Africa Cup of Nations, which is set to kick off in Ivory Coast on January 13, with 24 teams set to compete.

Senegal has been tipped as the favourite to retain the title they won for the first time in 2022, but the Teranga Lions will face stiff competition for the title from teams like Egypt and Morocco.

According to Euronews, Egypt is the most successful team in the Africa Cup of Nations as the Pharaohs boast a remarkable seven-time championship record and will hope to extend that in Ivory Coast.

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Other countries like Algeria, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast have also been identified as teams that stand a good chance of winning due to their pedigree while there are others regarded as dark horses.

Sports Brief, via Bolanews, has presented a list of dark horses for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

African 'dark horses' for 2023 AFCON prize

1. South Africa

Having failed to win AFCON since 1996, South Africa are showing indications of regaining their former glory.

Under Hugo Broos, Bafana Bafana went 12 games undefeated before falling to Rwanda in a FIFA World Cup qualifying encounter last month.

South Africa is coming into the 2023 AFCON in rich form and will hope to cause a massive upset when the tournament kicks off in January.

2. Mali

Mali will be aiming for their first Africa Cup of Nations title, something they came close to achieving in 2012 and 2013 when they won back-to-back bronze medals.

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During the 2023 AFCON qualification, the Eagles were formidable, earning 15 points out of a possible 18 in Group G.

3. Zambia

Zambia are making a comeback to the Africa Cup of Nations, after years of failing to qualify for the continent’s biggest football tournament for years.

The Chipolopolo ended their eight-year absence at AFCON by finishing first in Group H of the qualifiers. Ivory Coast, the 2023 AFCON hosts, fell victim to the Copper Bullets' clinic in June, losing 3-0 in Zambia.

Zambia last won the championship in 2012 and will be hoping to get back to winning the competition after 22 years with a lethal attacking trio of Patson Daka, Fashion Sakala, and Lameck Banda.

4. DR Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo will need to bring their A-game to the Ivory Coast as they have been grouped with two previous AFCON winners in Morocco and Zambia.

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The Leopards are the most decorated nation in Group F, having won the title in 1968 and 1974, defeating Zambia in the latter final. In recent times, they have fallen down the pecking order in African football.

5. Burkina Faso

In the last decade, Burkina Faso has come close to winning the AFCON crown, placing second, third, and fourth in 2013, 2017, and 2021, respectively.

The Stallions will be hoping to reach the final in Abidjan next year, the hometown of one of their country's most famous players, Aristide Bance.

African stars making AFCON debut

Sports Brief previously reported it is less than a month to AFCON 2023 as the 24 qualified countries prepare their teams for the tournament in Ivory Coast.

The prestigious continental tournament has in the past unearthed new talents while also giving others the opportunities to shine for their countries.

Senegal defied all odds to win the competition in Cameroon, with the likes of Nampalys Mendy and Abdou-Lakhad Diallao making their maiden appearances.