Andre Ayew: Ghana Captain Compares AFCON to World Cup as History Beckons for Veteran

• Andre Ayew is confident about Ghana's chances of AFCON 2023 glory
• The veteran holds the tournament in higher regard than the World Cup
• Ayew and Ghana will also be looking to end their long AFCON drought

Ghana are aiming to end their 42-year wait for the Africa Cup of Nations trophy in the 2023 tournament.

Black Stars captain, Andre Ayew has called the continental competition a difficult tournament to play in and win.

Ayew will play his eighth AFCON tournament in Cote d'Ivoire. The previous seven he has played in did not bring any silverware, only pain.

Speaking during a farewell dinner organised by the Ghanaian government, the Le Havre forward compared the continental competition to a global tournament.

"This tournament is even harder than the World Cup. We know that it is the hardest tournament, for me, in the World Cup when it comes to fighting, determination, and energy, so the only way we can do this is by being together and being united," he stated via Ghana Soccernet.

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Ayew and Ghana's hope to end AFCON misery

Ayew was part of the Black Stars team that reached the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals. They were inches away from reaching the semi-finals.

In the AFCON, however, Ghana have struggled to win the title. They produced one of their worst-ever performances in the 2021 edition, where they were eliminated in the group stage, per Opta Analyst.

With Africa's top teams taking part in this year's edition, it will be tough for the Black Stars to go all the way. Nevertheless, the competition is unpredictable, so Ghana always have a chance.

Ayew to make AFCON history

Meanwhile, Ayew is set to make AFCON history as only the third player to participate in eight editions of the tournament.

The veteran will join an exclusive group that includes Cameroon legend, Rigobert Song and former Egyptian attacker, Ahmed Hassan.

Ayew could also become the first player to score in seven different AFCONs in Cote d'Ivoire, as Sports Brief previously reported.

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AI predicts AFCON final

Sports Brief also previously reported on Opta's AI analysis, which considered several factors within its algorithm, predicting each nation's probability of winning AFCON.

The analysis assessed the teams' strengths, recent performances, potential matchups in the knockout stages, and the challenge level of a team's journey to the final stage.

According to the data, Senegal emerged with a calculated 21.7% chance of making it to the AFCON 2023 final. Ghana were given a 5.3% chance of winning the tournament.