AFCON 2023 Round of 16 Finalised: Who Advanced to the Knockout Stage in Ivory Coast?

• 16 teams have qualified for the knockout round of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
• The hosts, Ivory Coast made it through as one of the four best third-placed teams
• Mali, South Africa, and Namibia also advanced to the Round of 16 out of Group E

The cast is complete for the last 16 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ivory Coast joined the list of teams in the knockout round following Morocco's victory over Zambia.

Sports Brief looks at the countries that made it to the round of 16 at AFCON 2023.

AFCON 2023 Qualified Teams

Equatorial Guinea (Group A)

Many expected Ivory Coast or Nigeria to top Group A when the draw was announced months ago. That didn't happen as Equatorial Guinea swooped in and grabbed first place after going unbeaten in the group stage.

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Nzalang Nacional opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against the Super Eagles. They followed that up with wins over Guinea-Bissau (4-2) and the host nation (4-0) to finish top of Group A with seven points and clinch a spot in the round of 16.

Emilio Nsue has been on fire for Equatorial Guinea, scoring five goals in this year's AFCON thus far to lead all scorers, per Graphic.

Nigeria (Group A)

The Super Eagles grabbed a spot in the last 16 after finishing second in Group A.

They also went undefeated in the group stage, recording a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea and pulling off narrow 1-0 victories over Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau.

Cape Verde (Group B)

It was smooth sailing for the Blue Sharks in Group B. They booked their place in the round of 16 with one group match to spare.

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They opened their AFCON campaign with impressive victories over Ghana (2-1) and Mozambique (3-0). They preserved their unbeaten record on Monday with a 2-2 draw against Egypt.

Egypt (Group B)

Egypt's road to the last 16 of AFCON 2023 wasn't easy. The Pharaohs struggled in their first two group matches, recording 2-2 draws against Ghana and Mozambique.

To make matters worse for Egypt, star player Mohamed Salah injured his hamstring in the game against Mozambique.

According to The Guardian, the Liverpool star's injury is 'more serious than first thought', meaning he could miss the remainder of the tournament.

They were in danger of crashing out after Cape Verde took a 1-0 lead late in the first half. The Pharaohs regrouped in the second half, with Trezeguet scoring the equaliser in the 50th minute.

Egypt took a 2-1 lead thanks to a Mostafa Mohamed goal in second-half injury time before Cape Verde grabbed a very late equaliser minutes later.

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Fortunately for the seven-time AFCON champions, a draw result was enough to send them through to the last 16.

Ghana collapsed late in their game against Mozambique, helping Egypt secure second place in Group B and a spot in the round of 16.

Senegal (Group C)

The defending champions booked their place in the round of 16 with one group match to spare.

They opened their title defence with convincing wins over Gambia (3-0) and Cameroon (3-1).

Cameroon (Group C)

The Indomitable Lions looked to be on their way out of AFCON 2023 on Tuesday. They trailed the Gambia 2-1 after 85 minutes in a match they had to win for them to advance to the round of 16.

Cameroon then produced one of the greatest comebacks in their football history to secure their spot in the knockout round. A James Gomez own goal in the 87th minute tied the match at 2-2.

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Christopher Wooh then sent Cameroon fans into a frenzy with his match-winner in second-half injury time.

Angola (Group D)

Palancas Negras grabbed a spot in the last 16 after finishing top of Group D.

They went undefeated in the group stage, recording a 1-1 draw against Algeria and pulling off victories over Mauritania and Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso (Group D)

The Stallions secured a place in the last 16 after finishing second in Group D.

Burkina Faso advanced to the knockout round despite losing their group finale against Angola. They got some help from Mauritania, who defeated Algeria in the other group match.

The action continues with Group E and Group F wrapping up today (January 24).

Guinea (Group C)

Guinea booked a spot in the round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams in the tournament.

Syli National finished the group stage with four points, recording one win, one draw, and one loss.

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Mauritania (Group D)

Mauritania clinched a spot in the last 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams at AFCON 2023.

The Almoravids did it in style, beating Algeria 1-0 in their final group match. It was Mauritania's first-ever win at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Mali (Group E)

The Eagles grabbed a spot in the last 16 after finishing top of Group E.

They went undefeated in the group stage, recording a pair of draws and a win over South Africa.

South Africa (Group E)

A 0-0 draw against Tunisia in their final group match was enough for Bafana Bafana to advance to the last 16.

They clinched a spot in the knockout round thanks in large part to their commanding 4-0 win over Namibia on Matchday 2.

Namibia (Group E)

Namibia booked a spot in the round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams in the tournament.

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The Brave Warriors finished the group stage with four points, recording one win, one draw, and one loss.

Morocco (Group F)

The Atlas Lions secured a place in the last 16 after finishing top of Group F.

They went unbeaten in the group stage, recording a 1-1 draw against DR Congo and pulling off victories over Tanzania and Zambia.

DR Congo (Group F)

A goalless draw against Tanzania in their final group match was enough for the Leopards to advance to the round of 16.

They finished second in Group F with three points, with all of their matches ending in draws.

Ivory Coast (Group A)

The Elephants' campaign in the group stage wasn't pretty but they still got the job done and made the last 16 at AFCON 2023.

Ghana's late collapse against Mozambique helped Ivory Coast qualify for the knockout round even with just three points. They reached the round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams in the tournament.

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Race for AFCON Golden Boot is on

Sports Brief also previously reported on how the race for the AFCON Golden Boot is beginning to take shape.

A somewhat surprising name leads the list, with veterans Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane not in the top 10.

The 2021 edition saw Cameroon's Vincent Aboubakar crowned the award winner after an impressive outing.