Throughout the decades, the Africa Cup of Nations has been at the forefront of setting the stage for some of the best football matches in history. Some of these games are essential in learning all about the competition that the AFCON brings out. Players, meanwhile, can certainly study the level of intensity that participating teams in these matches brought, which they can take as lessons the next time they’re on the field. Regardless, every football enthusiast should watch these historic games from the AFCON.

1. Madagascar vs. Tunisia – 2019

In sports, nothing can beat an underdog story. For Madagascar fans, they held onto the magic that brought their team against Tunisia in AFCON 2019. Throughout the games before the AFCON, it seemed that the system betting calculator placed Madagascar high. Football pundits predict that the team will falter sooner rather than later against stronger teams. Madagascar defied all that until it was time to face Tunisia. Still, Madagascar came out as stars and is a moment of pride for the club overall.

2. Ghana vs. Nigeria – 2008

Most fans of AFCON would know about the Jollof derby. For the uninitiated, this is the Ghana-Nigeria rivalry and is always heavily anticipated by fans of the tournament. Out of all the 56 times that they faced each other off, the 2008 quarter-final match was a highlight in AFCON’s revered history. It was physical, dramatic, and almost personal at times, setting one of the most tense atmospheres ever witnessed between a game of football.

3. Egypt vs. Senegal – 2022

There’s no recency bias for this entry on the list: Egypt and Senegal were always teams to watch out for in the AFCON tournament. Count on these two intense rivals to put out an absolute barnburner of a game in 2022. While Egypt looks to decorate their title as the winningest country of the AFCON, Senegal is determined to stop them. The game featured two of the most famous stars from England’s Liverpool FC, contracted by both teams to play against each other. As expected, Egyptian player Mohammed Salah Senegalese player Sadio Mané gave their best, but Senegal ultimately won the grand prize.

4. Congo vs. Mali – 1972

For a certified classic, we go all the way back to the 70s. This showcase of competition between Congo and Mali has one of the best documentations of how plays in football began progressing. It was a time where football looked simpler but make no mistake: there is complexity behind the direct plays from Congo or the intricate passing between Mali. These clash of styles made for some of the most dramatic moments ever witnessed in the sport. Ultimately, Congo clinched the win from Mali, coming out as the victors in one of the AFCON’s best matches in its long history.

Teams under the tournament will always recognise the prestige and honour when finally winning the trophy. Which is why fans can always count on AFCON to create classic matches to further decorate the sport. The years to follow will only escalate the competition so the time to follow the tournament is right now!

The Africa Cup of Nations or AFCON will be held in Ivory Coast this year, which means teams all over Africa will be showcasing their skills throughout the country. As the tournament nears, let’s take a look at the stages to be featured in the competition. An introduction to these venues would be important, especially if you’ll be attending the games live!

1. Alassane Ouattara Stadium – Abidjan

Also known as the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé, Alassane Ouattara Stadium will be a major venue of the AFCON tournament matches. Located in the economic hub of Abidjan, this stadium will be the stage of the opening match between host country Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau. Considered as one of the AFCON favourites when it comes to matchups, which means that audiences are expected to come in droves. Fortunately, the stadium can accommodate 60,000 fans who are surely eager to watch and support their teams.

2. Stade de la Paix – Bouaké

Located in Ivory Coast’s second biggest city in Bouaké, Stade de la Paix, or Stadium of Peace in English, will host the AFCON for the second time around. It is the second biggest stadium in Ivory Coast, which can accommodate 40,000 excited fans. Previously, it could accommodate only 15,000 people but was renovated. It has since added new facilities to expand its capacity, such as a fully-equipped media centre, auditorium, conference facilities, and an upgraded spectator parking area.

3. Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium – Abidjan

Alassane Ouattara Stadium isn’t the only gargantuan stadium in Abidjan. Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium was named after the country’s first Head of State. It can accommodate as much as 33,000 audience members, which was not the case before the structure underwent a renovation. The stadium will be hosting the tournament for the second time around.

4. Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium – Korhogo

Located north of Ivory Coast, the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo can host 20,000 AFCON fans. With the recent additional infrastructure, the stadium will be more than capable of featuring competing teams. These include a media center and broadcast facility. A quality natural grass pitch would also ensure that players can enjoy playing in this stage.

5. Laurent Pokou Stadium – Poro

Another stadium that will accommodate the AFCON matches is Laurent Pokou Stadium, located in the cultural city of Poro. The stadium can accommodate 20,000 fans and will be a part of the infrastructure legacy for hosting this year’s AFCON.

6. Charles Konan Banny Stadium – Yamoussoukro

Ivory Coast’s newly constructed stadium, Charles Konan Banny Stadium in the country capital of Yamoussoukro can accommodate 20,000 AFCON fans. It is right in the heart of the vibrant capital which means fans can enjoy many events before and after the matches. There are also a lot of spots in the city to chill and enjoy the matches.

These stadiums can comfortably accommodate fans that are eager to show their support for their favourite teams in the AFCON. Make sure to book your tickets early. While accommodating numbers can be substantial, take note that the AFCON is a massive event, which means that fans from all over the world will watch with you!

Interested in following Africa’s most prestigious qualifier matches? We can’t blame you, the excitement is enough to attract even the most casual fans. While the Africa Cup of Nations or AFCON tournament matches are pretty simple to keep track of, there are a few things that you’d need to take note of if you’re just entering the sport. Especially since there is a major change that will take place for this year’s competition. Let’s kick off the football action right now!

From an even to odd history

Since the AFCON tournaments started its prestigious history, its highly competitive matches always took place every two years. Historically, AFCON matches have always taken place every even numbered year since 1968. But due to a couple of changes, the Confederation of African Football will switch to a year that ends with an odd number.

And while the tournament will retain the 2023 year in its name, the games will commence during January until February 2024. This switch of dates and schedules was made so that the AFCON matches would not coincide with the Bundesliga in Europe. So if you happen to see something different when checking your 1xBet betslip when placing bets for your favorite teams, take note of these changes!

Switching hemispheres

Apart from creating a way for the Bundesliga, the Confederation of African Football wanted to relocate the tournament to Ivory Coast. This is to ensure that matches take place in optimal weather for football.

Matches for AFCON will take place in these six stadiums in the West African country. These are Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Stade de la Paix, Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Laurent Pokou Stadium, and Charles Konan Banny Stadium.

Collision of stars

Of course, a huge part of the AFCON will be the skilled teams and players that will showcase their talents on the grass. During the almost month-long tournament, 24 teams in stadiums across Ivory Coast will compete in each of their brackets to earn wins that will propel them towards the grand trophy. The teams are drafted into six groups of four and will determine each other’s opponents.

Group A is composed of the host, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissa.

Group B is filled by Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, and Mozambique.

Drafted in Group C is Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, and Gambia.

Group D is Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Angola.

Group E has Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, and Namibia.

Finally, Group F has Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, and Tanzania.

Once the tournament results are determined, the top 16 teams for these preliminary matches will advance to the knockouts.

Some of the biggest Bundesliga stars will also be gracing the tournament. Names such as Ramy Bensebaini, Odilon Kossounou, Victor Boniface, and Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer will lend their talents for football dominance.

Egypt holds the record for most wins in the AFCON at seven wins for the entire tournament’s history. However, Senegal is the current defender of the title.

This is just scratching the surface of all the action to be experienced in AFCON. If you’re a new fan, it is the perfect time to follow the tournament, especially since the changes can be significant. We’re sure that these teams are excited to put on a show.

The senior national team of Nigeria will campaign at the Africa Cup of nations without one of their main forwards in Victor Boniface, who has been ruled out of the tournament with a groin injury as exclusively reported by OwnGoalNigeria.com.

23 year old Boniface has been a revelation for Bayer Leverkusen with ten goals and seven assists in the German Bundesliga since his move to the team from Belgium side Union Saint-Gilloise. He is part of the reason why they are top of the table.

His absence has forced head coach Jose Peseiro into a rethink as he was prime to partner Victor Osimhen in the attack of the team in the favorite 4-4-2 formation of the coach.

Per what we exclusively gathered there is a likelihood that the team will return to playing 4-3-3 with only one top striker in Osimhen. They will play the two man attack in games they are chasing.

Ademola Lookman for now is the favorite to play alongside Osimhen, a role he is well accustomed to at his Serie A side Atalanta. Peseiro doesn’t see Sadiq Umar and Terem Moffi who was called up as Boniface’s replacement as strikers who can play in a two man attack.

Kelechi Iheanacho would have been the obvious choice but he is more suited to playing the Leicester City man wide on the right, where he cuts in on his stronger foot and take advantage of his ability to strike the ball with venom.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The decision on who will be in goal for the senior national team of Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations has been made by the head coach of the team Jose Peseiro, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Since the start of their camping for the tournament in Cote d’Ivoire, Peseiro has used all three goalkeepers in his 25 man squad in the two test games they have played so far in Abu Dhabi.

Regular first choice goalkeeper Francis Uzoho started against a selection of secondary school kids in Dubai with Leke Ojo coming in as his substitute in the 12-0 win. Stanley Nwabali started and kept the entire duration of their 0-2 loss to Guinea yesterday.

Peseiro’s decision raised a lot of debate on who will be in goal with Uzoho not entirely at his best in the last few games for the team. Nwabali was called up to help provide competition and possibly back up to the Omonia Nicosia shot stopper.

However, the coach will stick with Uzoho who has really shown a lot of improvement in his ball handling and decision making. A lot to do with the run of four games he kept for his Cypriot side before joining the Super Eagles camp.

Sources at the camp said he has been the best among the shot stoppers in camp, but his confidence level still remains a source of concern as he tends to freeze in certain moments when under pressure.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has explained the reason why his team was beaten 0-2 by Guinea in the final warm up game before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

In an interview on the official TV channel of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the coach blamed the loss on the fact that they played an unfamiliar formation in 3-4-3, which is a departure from their traditional 4-4-2.

“We test a new system today 3-4-3 and I think we did a very good first half. Of course we were losing 0-1 but it was an undeserved one. We miss a penalty and we had two or three clear chances, I think we deserve more  in the first half than in the second half”, he said.

” In the second half I think it is more balanced between the teams . You look forward to the results when you play against a team with a good speed and good counter attack, it is not easy. We lost the balance in the midfield and for that I changed the formation to 4-3-3. They got three or four situations to counter attack and even though they scored the second goal I am happy with the team.

Speaking further, he said his decision to change the team also affected their rhythm with many players from the team that secured a 12-0 win over a Dubai selected side not listed in the game.

“I changed the team , I didn’t play all the players, I tried to manage in these two matches the team I didn’t show the first eleven. We showed two first eleven and I am happy but the second half was worse and you feel more the pain because of the work, we did a lot along the week but it’s okay I am happy with the first half but second half not so good”, he stated.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The senior national team of Nigeria were beaten 0-2 by Guinea in their last international friendly game ahead of the start of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

Nigeria used the game to tune up for their first game of the tournament which is on the 14th of January against Equatorial Guinea. A day after the host will play the opening game against Guinea Bissau.

A member of the team gave us the five players whom he think didn’t do their chances of making the starting lineup for the opening game any good during the course of the game.

” I think the entire back three (William Troost-Ekong, Kenneth Omeruo, Chidozie Awaziem) should be ashamed of themselves. They were they were beaten for both goals isn’t what is expected from players of their level and exposure”, it is unacceptable.

” Further up the pitch Raphael Onyedika didn’t help his case. Playing in a midfield two with Alhassan Yusuf he was supposed to be the senior player in the set up but he didn’t come to the party. Then there was Zaidu Sanusi, who didn’t understand properly what is role was as a wingback. It was just an eye sore from a defensive point of view”, he rounded up saying.

Osas Mahawi

As many as five seasons has been given as the possible reasons why the senior national team of Nigeria were beaten 0-2 by Guinea in their last warm up game ahead of their participation at the Africa Cup of Nations.

A member of the team in a chat with OwnGoalNigeria.com narrowed the defeat to five key things, which he also say the coach must address before they go to the tournament which begins on the 13th of January. Nigeria’s first game will be on the 14th of January against Equatorial Guinea.

Below are the reason he gave.

1. Unfamiliar Formation – The team has never played in that way before. A session was held but most of the players who were in that team that trained to play this way weren’t in the starting lineup. 3-4-3 isn’t a system you experiment with, it has to be perfected on the training ground.

2. Uncoordinated Back Three – You need to see the first goal to understand this point better. It was a ball over the top that caught the back three of Chidozie Awaziem, William Troost-Ekong and Kenneth Omeruo napping. Not entirely their fault because all three of them are in that role for the first time as a unit. The lack of understanding and coordination proved costly.

3. Wastefulness – Many people will look at the missed spot kick and rightly so but we were wasteful in general. Chances came and gone and we didn’t take any while they had just four attempts and converted two.

4. Debutant In Midfield – How can you explain playing Alhassan Yusuf with Raphael Onyedika. It was the debut for Yusuf and he was paired with Onyedika, another one with little experience. They were over ran and it proved costly.

5. Late substitutions – If the lineup for such a game was funny then the timing of the substitution was even worse. Maybe we could have rescued something from the game if it was made a little earlier.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Nice of France forward Terem Moffi has been picked as the replacement for injured Victor Boniface in the Super Eagles squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Boniface as first reported by OwnGoalNigeria.com will miss the tournament in Cote d’Ivoire due to a groin injury which is expected to keep him out for at least six weeks per what we exclusively gathered.

Moffi who was a shock omission from the initial squad is the obvious candidate, but there are doubts over his state of mind and fears are that he could snub the late invitation due to the pain he suffered when he was left out of the initial squad.

Some senior players in the Super Eagles have been asked to speak with the forward before the coach Jose Peseiro will have a word with him on joining the team. However the biggest hurdle is convincing his club to let him leave with such a short notice with the Ligue 1 side now in a position to stop him from joining the team.

The number of days required to inform a club about picking their player for the tournament has elaspsed meaning they can now decide against releasing the player without any fear of what might be the consequence of their actions.

If he turns down the invitation then the trio of Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Cyriel Dessers and Nathan Tella are the other options the coaches will turn to in their bid to fill the void created by the injury to Boniface.

Osas Mahawi

Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface has confirmed that he won’t be at the Africa Cup of Nations as first reported by OwnGoalNigeria.com.

He posted a message wishing the rest of his teammates the best of luck at the tournament after he was ruled out of the tournament with a groin injury.

The 23 year old was prime to be Victor Osimhen’s partner in attack after a blistering start to life in Germany with  Bayer Leverkusen, where he has scored 10 goals with seven assists.

He won the rookie of the month in the league three straight times raising hope of him giving the Super Eagles a huge lift at the AFCON, but that won’t be the case per what we exclusively gathered.

Boniface will return to Germany, where he will begin treatment for the groin injury that is expected to keep him out for six weeks. A decision on his replacement will be made later today.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman