The 34th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is set to commence in Ivory Coast on Saturday, January 13, with 24 countries vying for the prestigious title in African football.
This marks the second time Ivory Coast will host the tournament, the first being in 1984. The landscape of the competition has evolved significantly since then. Back in the 14th edition, only eight nations participated and witnessed Cameroon clinch their maiden AFCON title.
Fast forward to 2024, and the tournament has expanded to include 24 nations competing in six stadiums across five cities in Ivory Coast. The host nation, known as the Elephants, will kick off the competition on January 13 against Guinea-Bissau in Abidjan. The tournament will culminate with the final on February 11.
The tournament format allows the top two teams from each of the six groups to progress to the Round of 16. They will be joined by the four best third-placed teams. The competition will then proceed in a direct knockout format until the final on February 11, where the champion of Africa will be crowned at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, which can accommodate 60,000 spectators.
As the competition begins, current champions Senegal, along with Cameroon, Egypt, and Morocco, are seen as the favourites. Star players such as Victor Osimhen, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, Vincent Aboubakar, and Riyad Mahrez are expected to be in the limelight.
Below is the tournament schedule:
13/01/24
Group A: Ivory Coast vs Guinea-Bissau, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (3pm ET)
14/01/24
Group A: Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (9am)
Group B: Egypt vs Mozambique, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (12pm)
Group B: Ghana vs Cape Verde, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (3pm)
15/01/24
Group C: Senegal vs The Gambia, Charles Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro (9am)
Group C: Cameroon vs Guinea, Yamoussoukro (12am)
Group D: Algeria vs Angola, Stade de la Paix, Bouake (3pm)
16/01/24
Group D: Burkina Faso vs Mauritania, Bouake (9am)
Group E: Tunisia vs Namibia, Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo (12am)
Group E: Mali vs South Africa, Korhogo (3pm)
17/01/24
Group F: Morocco vs Tanzania, Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pedro (12pm)
Group F: DR Congo vs Zambia, San Pedro (3pm)
18/01/24
Group A: Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea-Bissau, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (9am)
Group A: Ivory Coast vs Nigeria, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (12pm)
Group B: Egypt vs Ghana, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (3pm)
Group C: Guinea vs The Gambia, Yamoussoukro (3pm)
19/01/24
Group B: Cape Verde vs Mozambique, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (9am)
Group C: Senegal vs Cameroon, Yamoussoukro (12pm)
20/01/24
Group D: Algeria vs Burkina Faso, Bouake (9am)
Group D: Mauritania vs Angola, Bouake (12pm)
Group E: Tunisia vs Mali, Korhogo (3pm)
21/01/24
Group F: Morocco vs DR Congo, San Pedro (9am)
Group F: Zambia vs Tanzania, San Pedro (12pm)
Group E: South Africa vs Namibia, Korhogo (3pm)
22/01/24
Group A: Ivory Coast vs Equatorial Guinea , Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (9am)
Group A: Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (9am)
Group B: Cape Verde vs Egypt, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (3pm)
Group B: Mozambique vs Ghana, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (3pm)
23/01/24
Group C: The Gambia vs Cameroon, Bouake (12pm)
Group C: Guinea vs Senegal, Yamoussoukro (12pm)
Group D: Angola vs Burkina Faso, Yamoussoukro (3pm)
Group D: Mauritania vs Algeria, Bouake (3pm)
24/01/24
Group E: Namibia vs Mali, San Pedro (12pm)
Group E: South Africa vs Tunisia, Korhogo (12pm)
Group F: Tanzania vs DR Congo, Korhogo (3pm)
Group F: Zambia vs Morocco, San Pedro (3pm)
Second Round:
SR1: Group D Winner vs 3rd Place Group B/E/F, Bouake (12pm)
SR2: Group A Second Place vs Group C Second Place, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (3pm)
SR3: Group A Winner vs 3rd Place Group C/D/E, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (12pm)
SR4: Group B Second Place vs Group F Second Place, San Pedro (3pm)
SR5: Group B Winner vs 3rd Place Group A/C/D, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (12pm)
SR6: Group C Winner vs 3rd Place Group A/B/F, Yamoussoukro (3pm)
SR7: Group E Winner vs Group D Second Place, Korhogo (12pm)
SR8: Group F Winner vs Group E Second Place, San Pedro (3pm)
QF1: Winner SR2 vs Winner RS1, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (12pm)
QF2: Winner SR4 vs Winner SR3, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (3pm)
QF3: Winner SR7 vs Winner RS6, Bouake (12pm)
QF4: Winner SR5 vs Winner SR8, Yamoussoukro (3pm)
SF1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF4, Bouake (12pm)
SF2: Winner QF3 vs Winner QF2, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (3pm)
SF1 vs SF2 losers, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (3pm)
SF1 vs SF2 winners, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (3pm)