AFCON 2023: 6 Big Footballing Nations Not Participating in Ivory Coast Edition of Tournament

• The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations promises to be one of the most competitive
• Most of the past winners of the competition are competing again this year
• There are, however, some notable nations missing from the 2023 AFCON

The 2023 AFCON is only four days away.

Excitement is already building ahead of the spectacle, set to take place in Ivory Coast, with fans of African football expecting a very competitive tournament.

Several nations will have a point to prove, including hosts Ivory Coast, whose last triumph in the tournament came in 2015.

Mohamed Salah’s Egypt will also hope to reclaim their lost glory from the late 2000s that saw The Pharaohs win an impressive three AFCON titles from 2006 to 2010.

New AFCON format and participating champions

In 2019, a major boost for African countries came after the number of participating teams in the AFCON finals increased from 16 to 24.

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An increase in competitors only served to spice up the competition and increased the chances of upsets from as early as the group stages.

The 2023 AFCON will be highly competitive since half of the participating teams have won the competition before.

According to Olympics, Algeria, Cameroon, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia have all won the competition since its inception in 1957.

Big teams not in the AFCON

However, in any competition, there are bound to be notable absentees among the one or two competitors who traditionally make it to the finals.

The 2023 AFCON is no different, as there are some nations who - if you mentioned two years ago they wouldn’t be competing - would be nearly unbelievable.

Sports Brief takes a look at some of the big footballing nations in Africa that are not in this year’s AFCON.

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Honourable mentions include Ethiopia since she was among the first African countries to win the tournament in 1962.

Togo

Togo is a team struggling to return to its glory days. Most of the current players ply their trade in Europe but seem to struggle when it comes to national team duty.

The country is also known for producing one of the best African players to have graced the Premier League - Emmanuel Adebayor.

The nation has not qualified for the AFCON since 2017.

Republic of the Congo

Not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Congo Republic is also another former heavy-hitter absent from the 2023 AFCON.

According to SportingNews.com, they are also one of the three former winners not to participate this year, having won the competition back in 1972.

Gabon

Mention Gabon to any modern football fan, and their first thought will be Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

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However, don't let their failure to participate in the World Cup fool you, as the nation has ascended in recent years.

Since 2010, they have participated in the AFCON five times, with their best finish being in the quarter-finals in 2012.

Uganda

Perhaps the most talented footballing nation in East Africa, it was a shame The Cranes did not qualify for the 2023 AFCON.

Uganda came close to winning the tournament in 1978 but lost to Ghana in the final.

They have the most appearances in the tournament among the East African nations, and their most recent appearance came in 2019, where they exited in the round of 16.

The Cranes are also the highest-ranked African team not participating in the 2023 AFCON.

Zimbabwe

Home of Luton Town’s midfielder, Marvelous Nakamba, Zimbabwe is on this list because they have consistently participated in their AFCON participation in recent years.

Zimbabwe featured in the AFCON consecutively from 2017 to 2021 after not participating from 2008 to 2015.

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Sudan

The 1970 AFCON champions are known to blow hot and cold in the competition, as they tend to go large spells without qualifying.

With their most recent appearance in the finals in 2021, Sudan is another nation trying to find the spark that saw them dominate the tournament in its early years.

Records that will not be broken in AFCON 2023

Sports Brief also previously reported on some of the AFCON records that will remain unbroken at the upcoming tournament in Ivory Coast.

Interestingly, a Gabonese international happens to hold two of these records, as the youngest participant as well as the youngest goal-scorer.

He became the youngest player to score in the competition at 16 years and 93 days when he netted in Gabon’s loss to South Africa back in 2000.