With just half a year remaining until the highly anticipated African Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023), the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have announced their plans to unveil the official mascot for the 34th edition of the tournament.
Cote d’Ivoire is diligently working to ensure the successful hosting of this prestigious biennial competition. Africa’s football governing body, CAF has revealed that the grand unveiling of the mascot will take place on Friday, July 7, 2023, at Ebrié Lagoon. The mascot will be introduced with its unique name, allowing it to significantly contribute to the visual identity of this 34th edition of the tournament. This unveiling will surely generate excitement and anticipation among football enthusiasts worldwide.
AFCON 2023 Qualifiers Update
The race for qualification for AFCON 2023) is reaching its climax, with several teams already securing their places while others are still vying for tickets. Due to respective FIFA bans, Kenya and Zimbabwe were unable to participate in the qualifiers, resulting in Group C and K featuring only three teams.
Nigeria claimed the top spot in group A and booked their place for AFCON 2023 finals by defeating Sierra Leone 3-2 on Sunday, June 18. Guinea Bissau also secured qualification from the group, while Sierra Leone and Sao Tome & Principe failed to advance.
In Group B, Burkina Faso has already secured their spot in the finals, having collected 10 points from their four games. Cape Verde joined them by defeating Burkina Faso 3-1 on Matchday five. In the final group games, Burkina Faso will face Eswatini, while Togo hosts Cape Verde.
Despite leading Group C with five points, Namibia has completed its matches. Cameroon and Burundi stand second and third respectively with four points each. The Indomitable Lions will host Burundi in their final qualifier in September.
Egypt tops Group D with 12 points, three ahead of Guinea. Ethiopia and Malawi played to a goalless draw, leaving both teams with four points and out of contention. Guinea joins Egypt in Ivory Coast for the prestigious competition next year.
Ghana with nine points, needs at least a draw against the Central African Republic to secure their AFCON 2023 ticket. Angola revived their chances with a crucial 2-1 away victory against the Central African Republic, placing them second in Group E with eight points. The Central African Republic holds third place with seven points, while Madagascar is out of the running at the bottom of the table with two points.
Algeria dominates Group F with a perfect 15 points, securing their position for AFCON 2023 regardless of the outcome of their remaining match against Tanzania who sits eight points behind after their 1-0 win over Niger on matchday five. Meanwhile, Uganda’s 2-1 defeat against Algeria leaves them with four points. The Cranes must convincingly beat Niger in their final game and hope Tanzania loses against Algeria to qualify.
Gambia ended South Sudan’s qualification hopes with a 3-2 victory in Group G, while Mali secured their place by defeating Congo. Mali will face Gambia in the final group game, aiming to finish ahead of them.
In Group H, Zambia secured their spot by stunning AFCON 2023 hosts Ivory Coast with a resounding 3-0 victory. Zambia tops the group with 12 points, followed by Ivory Coast with 10 points. Comoros and Lesotho have six and one points, respectively, with no chance of catching the top two.
Meanwhile, Group I has been highly competitive, with Mauritania leading with 8 points and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon tied on seven points, followed closely by Sudan with six points.
In Group J, Equatorial Guinea secured their spot for AFCON 2023 by defeating Tunisia 1-0 on matchday five. Equatorial Guinea leads the group with 12 points, while Tunisia trails with ten points. Botswana and Libya occupy the last two positions in the group, with no chance of qualification.
South Africa claimed the top spot in Group K after a 2-1 victory over Morocco, with both teams already booking their tickets to the biennial tournament. South Africa completed their pool assignments with seven points, while Morocco, with a game remaining against Liberia, aims to finish first.
Reigning AFCON champions Senegal dropped points for the first time in the qualifiers as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Benin in Group L. Senegal has already secured their qualification, and will be joined by Mozambique who are four points ahead of Benin and Rwanda ahead of the final matchday for qualifications.