AFCON 2023: Kick Off Time, Groups, Dates and All You Need to Know

• Ivory Coast is set to host the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations
• 24 teams have already qualified for the tournament from January 13
• Egypt have won the competition the most times in AFCON's history

The 2023 African Cup of Nations is scheduled to be the 34th edition of the biennial African Association football tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The tournament will feature 24 teams from across the continent, including powerhouses like Senegal, Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ghana.

Senegal is the current champion of the AFCON. The Teranga Lions defeated Egypt via penalties in the 2021 edition and will be hoping to defend their title in the Ivory Coast.

All 24 qualified teams have been split into six groups of four, with the top two countries in each group and four best third-place teams qualifying for the Round of 16, the BBC reports.

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The tournament is set to kick off on January 13 and will run until February 11. Here, Sports Brief highlights everything you need to know about the 2023 AFCON tournament.

AFCON 2023 groups

Group A:

Ivory Coast, 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

Tournament format

The top two teams from each group, as well as the four best-ranked third-placed teams, proceed to the last 16, which is followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals, a third-place match, and the final.

The group stages will feature two games each day until January 24 across the various stadiums and host cities.

From January 27, the next round will feature fascinating matchups such as the winner of Group D vs. the third-place finisher of Group B/E/F in Bouake (17:00 GMT).

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Quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals, playoffs

February 2 will feature the winners of the second round at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan (17:00 GMT), featuring the winners of the second round.

Thereafter, the winners of the quarter-finals will face off on Wednesday, February 7 in Bouake (17:00 GMT) and at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan (20:00 GMT).

The losing semi-finalists will then be in action on February 10 at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan (20:00 GMT), determining the bronze-place finisher.

The grand finale is on Sunday, February 11, at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan (20:00 GMT).

Mascot and match ball

The organising committee of the 2023 AFCON introduced the competition, dubbed 'Akwaba', which means 'Welcome' in Baoulé, according to Wikipedia. The animal symbol of Ivory Coast is an elephant. Its uniform is similar to that of the country's national team.

CAF and Puma also unveiled 'Pokou' as the official tournament edition match ball ahead of the final tournament draw on October 12. The name was chosen to memorialise the late renowned Ivorian attacker, Laurent Pokou, who was remembered locally for scoring five goals in a 6-1 victory over Ethiopia in the 1970 edition of the event, a record that has stood to this day.

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Stars ruled out of AFCON 2023

Sports Brief also previously reported Taiwo Awoniyi has been ruled out after Nottingham Forest confirmed he had aggravated a groin injury in the Super Eagles' 1-1 draw against Lesotho.

Brentford forward, Bryan Mbeumo would have been another one of the top players to look out for in the competition, but he is no longer part of the Cameroon squad due to an ankle injury.