AFCON: Favourite teams to win the tournament

• Ivory Coast will host the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where the best players in Africa will square off to win the title of continental champions.
• Before the first games, we’ve examined the favorites to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ivory Coast will host the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where the best players in Africa will square off to win the title of continental champions.

Fans from all across the world will be watching closely as AFCON 2023 gets underway on Saturday, January 13.

Before the first games, we’ve examined the top contenders for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Egypt

Egypt National team in a previous match. Photo/Goal

Egypt has the record for the most AFCON victories with seven, however, it has been more than ten years since their most recent continental triumph in 2010.

The Pharaohs, who had finished second in the previous three competitions, lost to Senegal in the 2021 edition on penalties. The majority of the Egyptian team is composed of domestic players, although Mohamed Salah, a star for Liverpool, is Rui Vitória’s greatest asset.

The biggest player in African football, Mohamed Salah, enters the competition in brilliant form. The 31-year-old has scored six goals in his previous nine appearances for the national team and is now tied for the lead in Premier League scoring (14) and assists (8). With 96 caps, the attacker has scored 55 goals for his country and is closing up on Hossam Hassan’s all-time record of 68 goals.

Across their last 14 games across all competitions, Egypt has only lost once.

Morocco

Having advanced to the World Cup semifinals, Morocco achieved history in Qatar the previous winter as the first African team.

To win their first Africa Cup of Nations tournament since 1976, the Atlas Lions will want to improve on the tournament in which they saw Morocco defeat Portugal and Spain.

With Sofyan Amrabat of Manchester United on loan and Nayef Aguerd of West Ham serving as the Premier League’s representatives, Walid Regragui’s team has a solid core of players from Europe’s top five divisions.

The standout player on the Moroccan team is Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain, with Youssef En-Nesyri, a striker for Sevilla, leading the line. The Spanish team won the Europa League last season thanks to the latter’s 18 goals in all competitions.

Morocco is well-positioned to contend, having defeated Brazil in a friendly in March.

Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast won the 2015 AFCON tournament. Photo/ Eurosport

The Africa Cup of Nations will take place in Ivory Coast for the second time. The first competition was supposed to take place in the summer of 2023 in the Northern Hemisphere but was postponed owing to bad weather.

Les Éléphants are seen as favorites for this year’s tournament even if they lack the star power of opposing teams. They have won two titles after winning the AFCON in 1992 and 2015.

Top-tier European talent has been added with the recent addition of French-born players Evan Ndicka, Seko Fofana, and Jonathan Bamba. Sebastien Haller will lead the line despite the Bundesliga’s goalless start to the season.

The Ivorians will be led by full-back Serge Aurier of Nottingham Forest, and two interesting young players to watch are Karim Konaté of Red Bull Salzburg and Ousmane Diomande of Sporting Lisbon.

Algeria

Algeria will begin as one of the favorites to win the title, as The Greens attempt to recover from a terrible 2021 competition in which the North African country lost in the group stage while defending the title.

Baghdad Bounedjah’s game-winning goal against Senegal in Algeria’s 2019 campaign secured the nation’s second AFCON championship.

Algeria’s captain will be Riyad Mahrez, while Islam Slimani, a fellow former Leicester player, will continue to be a focal point even if he is very close to turning 36. With 98 caps, the veteran has scored a record 45 goals for his team, Cortiba, in Brazil.

Algeria is another country that has brought in European-born players of Algerian heritage. Their roster includes Houssem Aouar of Roma, who was awarded a non-competitive cap for France in 2020; Ramiz Zerrouki of Feyenoord; and Rayan Ait Nouri, a left-back for Wolves.

Senegal

Senegal celebrates winning AFCON 2022. Photo/CNN

After taking home the elusive AFCON title in 2021, Senegal enters the competition as the defending champions.

Following runner-up finishes in 2002 and 2019, the Lions of Teranga won their first continental title two years ago, defeating Egypt on penalties.

With stars like Sadio Mane, Idrissa Gueye, and Kalidou Koulibaly all in their thirties, the backbone of Aliou Cissé’s side is becoming older. Senegal will be hoping that its up-and-coming talent, such as Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea and Pape Matar Sarr of Spurs, can give the holders the ideal balance of youth and experience to help them retain the championship.