AFCON 2023 Group A Preview: West African powerhouses Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire sandwiched in between the Guineas
The Africa Cup of Nations 2023 (AFCON 2023) is set to commence on 13 January 2024, featuring 24 national teams vying for the esteemed trophy in African football. Côte d’Ivoire is the host for the 2024 edition, inaugurating the competition at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan against Guinea-Bissau.
The Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire, two-time champions of the AFCON title in 1992 and 2015, find themselves in Group A alongside the three-time winners Nigeria for this year’s tournament. Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau will assume the underdog statuses, endeavoring to achieve remarkable feats in their pursuit of advancing to the round of 16.
Final Squads – Group A
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Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria have clashed three times in the past 20 years in AFCON tournaments. The Ivorians emerged victorious twice, in the 2006 semi-finals and the 2008 quarterfinals. The Super Eagles responded emphatically in 2013, defeating the Elephants in the semifinals and subsequently securing their third AFCON title.
The remarkable achievements and significant encounters position Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria as the teams to closely monitor in Group A; given their historical success, one can expect them to secure spots in the last 16 stage. Notably, Super Eagles’ head coach, Jose Peseiro, has assembled a formidable squad for the AFCON 2023 campaign.
A setback for the Nigerian squad might be the absence of the midfield dynamo, Wilfred Ndidi, who had to withdraw from the competition due to an injury that sidelined him in Leicester City’s recent match. The defensive midfielder will be replaced by Alhassan Yussuf, who has impressed with his performances at Royal Antwerp.
Cote d’Ivoire has assembled a squad of comparable quality, although notable omissions include Galatasaray winger Wilfried Zaha and free agent Eric Bailly. Key Ivorian players to watch include Simon Adingra (Brighton), Franck Kessie (Al Ahli), Sebastien Haller (Borussia Dortmund), and the Nottingham Forest trio of Serge Aurier, Ibrahim Sangare, and Willy Boly.
Guinea-Bissau caused an upset by defeating the Super Eagles in their AFCON qualifiers game at Abuja, where forward Mama Balde and midfielder Opa Sagante combined to stun the African giants on their home turf. The Djurtus of Guinea-Bissau will be optimistic about such fortune at AFCON 2023, facing formidable opponents in the group stage.
Equatorial Guinea has yet to make a significant impact at an AFCON edition, and although the odds may seem against them this time, they cannot be completely disregarded in Côte d’Ivoire. Regardless of the stakes, one certainty remains – Group A qualifiers won’t be determined easily.
