By Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (January 3^rd 2024)

AFCON Anticipation Rising

The 34^th Africa Cup of Nations will begin on January 13^th just ten days from now. It will be the second time the tournament has been hosted by the Ivory Coast (la Côte d’Ivoire). This edition will open in Abidjan’s Alassane Ouattara Stadium also known as the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé, and (formerly known as the National Stadium of Ivory Coast) with la Côte d’Ivoire facing Guinea-Bissau.

Six stadiums in five cities will be used to host the tournament – two of which are in Abidjan.[1]

The Elephants have won the competition twice, 1992 and 2015, both times against Ghana’s Black Stars and both times it was on penalties. The second time the Elephants became Champions of Africa history was made as a Frenchman became the first non-African to win the AFCON as a coach, and Hervé Renard also became the first coach to win AFCONs with two separate countries – Zambia in 2012 was his first triumph.

Zambia’s Chipolopolo return to the forthcoming AFCON after three successive failures to qualify. The provisional list of up to 55 players for all 24 participants has been confirmed by the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF). This will be the first AFCON that the participants may select up to 27 players – previously the limit was 23.

https://www.cafonline.com/media/szzh20fx/afcon-2023-provisional-squads-list.pdf Each country must announce their final squads by today – the squads of each team will be published soon.

[1] Each stadium will be named in articles on the six groups to be published soon.