The Confederation of African Football [CAF] on Thursday confirmed the start and end dates for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations scheduled to be hosted in Cote d’Ivoire.
Six countries have so far qualified for the 34th edition of Africa’s prestigious tournament.
South Africa, Morocco, Algeria, defending champions Senegal, Burkina Faso and Tunisia as teams who have already qualified, while Ivory Coast are also confirmed as one of the 24 teams as hosts.
“The TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 dates have been officially confirmed by CAF, with the opening match scheduled to take place on Saturday, 13 January 2024 at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan,” CAF said via a press statement.
“The four-week tournament, pitting Africa’s best 24 nations will officially conclude on 11 February 2024.
“This will be the 34th edition of the tournament and returns to Cote d’Ivoire for the second time after first being held there in 1984, where Cameroon emerged as winners for the first time.
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“With the TotalEnergies AFCON 2023 Qualifiers approaching its business end, the road to Cote D’Ivoire is gradually taking shape as the world gears up for Africa’s biggest football spectacle.
“CAF General Secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba also confirmed that the Final Draw of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations 2023 Cote d’Ivoire will be held in September 2023. Date and venue will be confirmed in due course.
“With the rapidly growing global interest of CAF competitions recorded in the last few months, CAF is projecting record global TV audiences and stadium attendances for next year’s edition of its flagship competition, which also currently holds the record of being Africa’s biggest event.
“As evidently seen in recently concluded CAF competitions, CAF has taken giant steps in enhancing the viewing and stadium attendance experience of its competitions with the introduction of cutting-edge broadcast technology as well as digital engagement, resulting in a world-class product that is consumed in real-time globally.”
The matchday three and four games were played last week and this week with the final round of two games scheduled to be played in June later this year.