Supercomputer Predicts AFCON 2023 Winner: Heartbreak for Powerhouses Nigeria and Ghana

• The Opta supercomputer has delivered its 2023 AFCON predictions
• 24 teams are competing to be crowned as the continent's champions
• The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations is set for January 13 until February 11

Senegal has been given a 12.8% chance of defending the Africa Cup of Nations by the Opta supercomputer, which has compiled predictions for Africa’s biggest football competition.

The Teranga Lions have been backed as favourites for the trophy by several pundits and ex-footballers, and it is no surprise that Aliou Cisse’s men are once again at the top.

According to Opta Analyst, no team has defended the AFCON trophy since Egypt won a third straight title in 2010, but Senegal could be set for another deep run.

Ivory Coast was ranked as the second favourite for the title, with the Elephants assigned a 12.1% chance of becoming the first host nation since Egypt in 2006 to win the tournament.

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FIFA World Cup semi-finalists, Morocco are ranked third with an 11.1% chance of winning while Nigeria (8.1%), Cameroon (7.4%), Tunisia (6.3%), and Ghana (5.3%) are the other teams with hopes rated above 5%.

Nigeria has quality to win AFCON

Meanwhile, Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa has insisted that Nigeria have enough quality to win the title at the 2023 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, Complete Sports has reported.

In a recent interview, the former Leicester City forward, who was part of the team’s training camp in Abu Dhabi, stated the 25-man squad is one of the best going into the tournament in Ivory Coast.

The Super Eagles will be aiming to win the AFCON for a fourth time after their successes in 1980, 1994, and 2013, kicking off their 2023 campaign against Equatorial Guinea on January 14.

AFCON records that won't be surpassed

Sports Brief previously reported that a former Gabonese international holds two records that will not be broken at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

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Shiva N'Zigou is the youngest player ever in AFCON and also holds the record as the youngest player to score in the history of the competition.

The only coaches who have won the competition three times are Ghanaian manager, Charles Gyamfi and Egyptian manager, Hassan Shehata.