AFCON 2023 Opening Ceremony: Yemi Alade to Perform Before Ivory Coast vs Guinea Bissau

• Yemi Alade will headline the opening ceremony of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
• The Nigerian expressed satisfaction in her long-standing dream coming true
• Ivory Coast will face Guinea Bissau in the tournament opener on January 13

Yemi Alade is set to highlight the opening ceremony of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan on January 13.

The Nigerian pop queen will entertain at least 60,000 people, luminaries and dignitaries included, before hosts Ivory Coast get the ball rolling against Guinea Bissau in a Group A clash.

Yemi Alade's AFCON 2023 message

The songwriter took to X to confirm the news.

"I can't buttress the importance of prayer and speaking into existence your heart desires. Since 2016, I have desired to perform at the stadium for football ceremonies surrounded by hundreds of dancers and millions of people."

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The 911 hitmaker termed the milestone as a 'dream come true.'

"A lot of calls came in almost every year when football championship preparations were made, but none was favourable. 7 YEARS LATER, I'M PERFORMING AT AFCON. IT'S INDEED AN HONOUR, A DREAM COME TRUE and it's just the beginning!"

As Sports Brief had earlier reported, Alalde had already been featured in AFCON's theme song, Akwaba. She did the song alongside the Ivorian group Magic System and Egyptian singer Mohamed Ramadan.

Who is Yemi Alade

The 34-year-old rose to prominence in 2014 after her song Johnny went viral. She has won a couple of awards, including the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) for Best Female in 2015 and 2016.

Her native country, Nigeria, will be in action on Sunday when they play Equatorial Guinea in the other Group A match.

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The Super Eagles have faced a series of misfortunes in their buildup to the tournament. Leicester City midfielder Wilfried Ndidi withdrew a few days before the tournament.

On-form Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface was also ruled out for six weeks with a groin injury. Terem Moffi was called up to replace him.