Swedish Football Fan Ranks AFCON Next Big Tournament After FIFA World Cup

• AFCON 2023 has continued to gain attention from all over the world
• A Swedish football enthusiast is impressed at the level of organisation of the African spectacle
• Most of the top-ranked teams have failed to make it beyond the Round of 16

A Swedish football enthusiast, James Kruuse, has suggested that the Africa Cup of Nations is the biggest tournament after the FIFA World Cup.

Despite hailing from Europe, where UEFA organises some spectacular tournaments, including the EURO, UEFA Champions League as well as the Europa Cup tournaments, Kruuse ranks the African showpiece ahead of them.

The ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast has seen some of the biggest upsets, as all the top five FIFA-ranked teams have all crashed out.

Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and even Cameroon have failed to progress beyond the second round of the continental showpiece.

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Nigeria, Guinea, Cape Verde, Angola, DR Congo, Mali, South Africa and host Nation Ivory Coast have all made it to the last eight of the competition.

In an exclusive chat with Sports Brief, Kruuse disclosed that the AFCON is so unpredictable. He said:

"Yes, I think the AFCON is such an amazing tournament. It is very unpredictable.

"It has proven world-class talent combined with local up-and-coming players, unbelievable passion from fans all over Africa, and even as you saw worldwide, a tournament just has an amazing vibe to it that is hard to explain almost for outsiders."

Hakimi apologises after penalty miss

Sports Brief earlier reported that Morocco’s star right-back Achraf Hakimi issued a heartfelt apology for missing the penalty that ultimately led to Morocco’s elimination by South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in the AFCON round of 16.

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The 25-year-old star right-back faced a moment of intense pressure in the 84th minute of the round of 16 match, coming up to take a penalty kick that would see Morocco equalise an earlier South African goal and eventually hope to reach the AFCON quarter-finals.

The defeat left Moroccan fans in a state of shock, with many left alternating between disappointment and confusion as they struggled to make sense of yet another early AFCON exit for a talented Moroccan side that most observers had rated as one of this year's top contenders for the continental crown.