The Super Eagles will know the opponents they will come up against at the group stage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) slated for Cote d’Ivoire in January, next year, when the Confederation of African Football (CAF) holds the draw today.
The ceremony, which will take place at the Parc Des Exposition in Abidjan, the Ivorian capital, with the creme-de-la-creme of African football expected to be in attendance, will see the 24 qualified teams drawn into six groups of four teams each, with the two top –placed teams in each group, alongside the best four third –placed teams, progressing to the Round of 16.
The Super Eagles are in Pot 2 and could be drawn in the same group with Morocco, Senegal, or Egypt.
While speaking on cafonline ahead of today’s draw ceremony, vice-president of the Local Organising Committee, Yacine Idriss Diallo, said the draw was an exciting platform for Cote d’Ivoire to demonstrate its state of readiness and excitement of hosting Africa next year.
“You can feel the excitement in the air – not just here in Abidjan but across the country. Everywhere you go, people are talking about Thursday evening’s Draw and who they want to see playing against each other. Thanks to our continued efforts, working with CAF and local government, the country is fully behind this tournament and starting with the Draw on Thursday, Cote d’Ivoire will demonstrate to Africa and the rest of the world that it is indeed ready to host a successful AFCON”, said Diallo.
Côte d’Ivoire is hosting the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time, after the 1984 tournament in which Cameroon won the title at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny,
This Official Draw according to CAF will be beamed in over 50 countries, with millions of viewers expected to tune in to the event on CAF’s Official YouTube channel as well as across CAF’s Global TV partners.
The Qualified Nations for the Official Draw:
Cote d’Ivoire (hosts), Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo DR, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are three-time African champions and they are hoping to add another title next year in Cote d’Ivoire.
