CAF confirms dates for 2023 AFCON in Cote d'Ivoire

The dates for 2023 Africa Cup of Nations have been officially confirmed by CAF, with the opening match scheduled to take place on Saturday, January 23, 2024.

The opening ceremony and match will take place at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan.

The four-week tournament, pitting Africa's best 24 nations, will officially conclude on February 11, 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.

Following this past weekend’s thrilling round of qualifiers, six other countries have secured their places for next year's tournament joining the host country.

The qualified countries are defending champions Senegal, Morocco, Algeria, South Africa, Burkina Faso, and Tunisia.

The remaining 17 places will be determined after the matchday five and six matches in June and September respectively.

CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba also confirmed that the Final Draw of the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 Cote d’Ivoire will be held in September this year.

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.