AFCON Winner Odds: Tournament Preview & Betting Tips for AFCON 2023

by Luke Andrews, 6 October 2023

The thirty-fourth edition of the AFCON will be held in Ivory Coast from January 13 2024 to February 11 2024. Twenty-four teams will contest the AFCON 2023, a competition that takes place every two years; however, this year’s tournament has been moved to next year because of the weather conditions in the host country. In this article, Luke Andrews tells you all you need to know about Africa’s premier football tournament.

The African Cup of Nations is a landmark event in the World of Football that brings together the best twenty-four teams and players from Africa to compete to prove the best team in the continent. The tournament known as CAN or AFCON will be referred to as Total Energies AFCON for sponsorship purposes and is organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and was first held in 1957.

The tournament will take place across five host cities, Korhogo, Bouake, Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, and San Pedro, and six stadiums will be home for the games. The competition will occur in 2024 while maintaining the name AFCON 2023 due to hostile weather conditions, but we expect a highly competitive tournament.

Egypt is the most successful team in the competition with seven titles, while Senegal is the most recent winner, clinching their first title in the 2021 edition of the games.

I will take you through all the details regarding the anticipated event to put African football on the global map, showing how exponentially it has developed through the years. We will determine what the African Cup of Nations is from when it started, the winners and the teams that have made a mark in the competition.

Then, I will highlight the next edition, looking at the format, the teams that could make a mark, the venues and all the details regarding the tournament that would grace us early next year. As many African players feature in our domestic competition, I’ll highlight the Premier League players who could feature in the tournament and how this could affect clubs in England. Finally, we will highlight the top teams in the contest and the teams with a high chance of winning this year’s competition.

AFCON Tournament History and Previous Winners

The idea of a tournament for Africa began after the CAF was established in February 1957 with four founding teams: Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Sudan.

There was no qualification for the inaugural tournament, with Ethiopia given a walk-over to the final after South Africa was disqualified for the selection of only white players. The first edition saw just two games played, and Egypt won the edition and two years again with the same three teams, but this time hosted in Cairo, Egypt. The third edition saw the number of countries grow and thus included a qualification phase to determine which four sections would feature. Ethiopia, the host, won the third edition, beating the defending Champions in extra time.

In the 1960s, Ghana, which debuted in the 1963 edition, hosted and triumphed in their first attempt and, in the following 1965 edition, became the second nation after Egypt to win two consecutive trophies.

A TRULY 🇬🇭 GHANAIAN LEGEND.

His name was Charles Kumi Gyamfi, known as C.K GYAMFI born 4th, Dec, 1929 and died 2nd, Sept, 2015.

He was a Ghanaian baller who became the first African to play in Germany with Düsseldorf in 1960 and later became a coach nd won AFCON tropy 3 times. pic.twitter.com/Bfn1jxBszI

— Nana Yaw Asare (@Drnayas) September 15, 2022

The 1968 edition saw an increase in the number of teams from four to eight, and the number of teams participating in the preliminary round also increased to twenty-two. They incorporated the group phase for the first time in the tournament, had two groups of four, each playing the round robin, and the winners and the runners proceeded to the knockout phase that began in the semi-finals. The defending Champions, Ghana, reached the finals but lost to first-time winners Democratic Republic of Congo. Ghana reached the finals of each edition in this decade but lost a second consecutive final in the 1970 edition at the hands of Sudan.

Cameroon domination in the 80’s

In the 1980s, another dominant side in Cameroon emerged, reaching the finals three times in a row and winning twice (1984, 1988), losing to the best team in the competition in Egypt in 1986. Algeria, who had represented the continent exceptionally well in the 1982 and 1986 World Cup, reached the finals of the 1980 edition, where they lost to Nigeria, who were the hosts. The Fennac Foxes finally won the 1990 edition, having been a constant figure in the last four tournaments in the 80s except for 1986.

The 1990’s era of the AFCON

The number of teams increased to twelve in 1992, grouped into four groups of three each. The winners and the runners-up proceeded to the knockout phase that began with the quarter-finals. The 20th edition of the African Cup was held in South Africa after they ended the apartheid, and CAF ended a decade-long ban for Bafana Bafana. In 1996, the number of teams increased to sixteen, with four teams split into four groups. Nigeria withdrew, leaving just fifteen teams featuring, and South Africa triumphed on home soil to win their first title. They reached the final of the subsequent competition held in Burkina Faso but lost to Egypt.

The 2000’s – The Years of the Pharaohs

In the 2000 edition, Nigeria and Ghana were the joint hosts, with the Super Eagles going to the finals but losing to Cameroon, who won their first title. The 2002 edition saw the Indomitable Lions repeat the heroics of Egypt and Ghana by winning consecutive titles, beating first-time finalists Senegal. Tunisia played hosts and winners of the 2004 edition, defeating Morocco in the final. The 2006 finals saw the Pharaohs reach the finals for a record five times and win as hosts. The 2008 edition was hosted by Ghana, who defended their title and extended their dominance in the competition with a sixth title. They went further with a third consecutive title in the 2010 edition and a seventh overall.

The edition was switched to odd years to prevent it from coinciding with the World Cup years. Thus, the 2013 edition was the first of the odd-year era, with the 2012 edition going on as planned. Zambia were the surprise winners of the 2012 edition, beating favourites Ivory Coast, who were overloaded with Premier League superstars. The following year, Nigeria triumphed against Burkina Faso.

THE END? 🏆🌍

AFCON editions from 2013 to 2025 have all been moved to other countries instead of original countries

2013: Libya > South Africa (war)
2015: Morocco > Eq.Guinea (Ebola)
2017: South Africa* > Gabon (Libya was still not ready to host)
2019: Cameroon > Egypt… pic.twitter.com/UPOG42SJux

— 𝗠𝗩𝗡_𝗘𝗡 | 🇲🇦 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 (@MVN_EN) September 29, 2023

In the 2019 edition, there were considerable changes in the number of teams from sixteen to twenty-four teams and the time of the competition from January to the summer of the Northern Hemisphere. Algeria won the edition, beating Senegal for their second title. The most recent edition saw Senegal win the title for the first time in their history by beating the most successful team in the competition, Egypt, in a Mane vs. Salah Liverpool much-hyped final.

The UNAF (North Africa) federation leads the list of overall winners with 11, mainly thanks to having Egypt in their ranks. The WAFU (West Africa) federation is one behind but has more countries with the potential to win.

The achievement of consecutive championships is a rare feat in the history of AFCON, underlining the competitive nature of the tournament and the difficulty in maintaining such a high level of performance over multiple editions.

Egypt stands out as the only nation to have won the trophy three times in a row, achieving this feat in 2006, 2008, and 2010. Ghana and Cameroon have each managed to win back-to-back titles once, with Ghana doing so in 1963 and 1965 and Cameroon in 2000 and 2002.

Where the Next AFCON Tournament Will Be

The 2023 AFCON tournament will be played across five cities: Abidjan, Bouake, Korhogo, San Pedro, and Yamoussoukro.

Alassane Quottara Stadium

Abidjan has two stadiums: the Alassane Quottara Stadium, the home of the Ivorian national football team. It will be the main stadium for the tournament that is expected to host the opening match and the climax finals. It is the largest of the six stadiums, with a capacity of sixty thousand people.

Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium

The former national stadium for the host nation is the home of ASEC Abidjan. It has a capacity of fifty thousand and is the second stadium in Abidjan where most of the activity will be held.

Stade de la Paix

The Peace Stadium in Bouake has a capacity of forty thousand fans and underwent renovations in readiness for the AFCON 2023. The arena was built to host the 1984 edition of the games and hosted seven games. The most recent renovations made the arena a more European-like stadium, removing the tracks and having a roof structure above the stands.

129 days left for AFCON 2024 and Ivory Coast is Ready.

1. Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium – 40 000 Capacity

2. Ebimpe Olympic Stadium – 60 000 Capacity

3. Stadium of Peace – 40 000 Capacity

4. Korhogo Stadium – 20 000 Capacity

5. San Pedro Stadium – 20 000 Capacity

6.… pic.twitter.com/Io5kgy8p9i

— New Sheriff⚓ (@NewsheriffUtd) September 6, 2023

AFCON – The Other Three Stadiums

In the spirit of developing football facilities, the appointment of Ivory Coast as the host prompted them to build three new stadiums to handle the tournament. All the stadiums were expected to have a capacity of twenty thousand each. The stadiums are Amadou Gon Coulibaly in Korhogo, Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro, and Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro. In addition to building the stadiums in these cities, there were additional constructions and renovations of training facilities, eight in Abidjan and four in Bouake. The hotel situation in readiness for the tournament to host the players and travelling fans prompted the building of ninety-six villas in San Pedro, Yamoussoukro, Korhogo and Bouake to enhance the accommodation situation.

2023 AFCON – The Qualified Teams

Every one of the 54 CAF associations participated in the tournament. The team seeding relied on the FIFA World Rankings as of December 23, 2021. Teams placed 1st to 42nd were directly advanced to the group stage of qualifiers, whereas those ranked 43rd to 54th competed in the initial round.

The draw for the preliminary round occurred on January 21, 2022, and the final qualifying match was held between September 6 and September 12, 2023.

Here is the full list of qualified teams;

The draw for the competition will take place on October 12 in Ivory Coast’s capital to group the twenty-four sides into six groups of four teams each. The group stage is the first phase of the competition, where the teams compete in a single round-robin where each team plays against the other three. A win is awarded three points; a draw is awarded one end, while a defeat is awarded zero. The final two matches of each group are scheduled at the same time.

The winner of the group and the runners-up qualify for the first twelve slots in the round of sixteen. The final four slots are filled with the best four third-place finishers from the groups. The knockout phase begins with sixteen teams that qualify from the knockout stage, with the winner moving to the next stage and the loser heading home. A winner must be decided in each round, with the game going to extra time and eventually penalties if the scores are level. From the round of sixteen, the winning teams move to the quarter-finals, then the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the winning two teams play in the finals while the losing two play in the third-place play-offs.

The draw for the groups took place on 13 October, here are the results;

AFCON 2023 – Impact on the Premier League

The scheduling of the African Cup of Nations is expected to impact many teams in the Premier League significantly. Here are some of the teams that will be affected.

AFCON – Manchester City and Newcastle

The treble winners have a massive squad, and every player is expected to stay. The Premier League winners have started the season strongly and will have a great chance to extend their dominance in Europe and the league with their whole squad available. They, alongside Newcastle, who have been making strides in Europe, will have the advantage of having their entire squads available for selection.

AFCON – Nottingham Forest

The most affected team by the AFCON are Nottingham Forest. The Forester will have seven players leaving for the tournament, with the enormous dent expected to be the departure of their striker, Taiwo Awoniyi.

Back-to-back for Nigeria 🇳🇬

Ola Aina wins Nottingham Forest's Player of the month for September after Taiwo Awoniyi won it in August.

Super Eagles HQ 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nHrd7dLVEy

— POOJA!!! (@PoojaMedia) October 3, 2023

A side looking to avoid the relegation battle needs their best players week in and week out to compete at the top level. The Nigerian has five goal involvements (three goals and two assists) in seven appearances this season.

AFCON – Brentford

After a four-month ban, the lucky Bees will be excited with the return of their attacking superstar Ivan Toney in mid-January. They will, however, wait for a while for him to unite with Bryan Mbuemo (four goals) and Yoane Wissa (two goals), who have featured in all seven games they have played this season. The inconsistencies have seen them drop in form and could hurt their progress and quest to stay safe.

AFCON – Tottenham

The resurgence of the London side has been due to a robust double pivot in the number six position by Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma, who have been inspirational for Tottenham. Their impressive performances have seen them fly to second place in the Premier League table, just one point behind leaders Manchester City. During their international duty period, they will be a colossal miss for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

AFCON – Manchester United

The Red Devils will have to endure the departure of key members of their first eleven for the AFCON. That adding to the worrying injury list and poor form will hope they would have gained sufficient miles and make January signing to accommodate the period. Erik ten Hag let the PFA Golden Glove winner David De Gea depart and bring in Andre Onana, who will have country duty for Cameroon at the AFCON. Amrabat, the latest addition to the squad, could be an integral part of the team.

The draw for AFCON took place on 13 October, here are the groups for the competition;

How to Bet on AFCON: A Step-by-Step Guide

We anticipate a highly competitive AFCON tournament, given its evolution and the influx of seasoned players from top global leagues. The competition will feature powerhouse teams such as Egypt with seven titles, Cameroon with five, Ghana with four, and Nigeria with three, as well as the reigning champions, Senegal.

To engage in AFCON betting, you can follow these steps:

• Create an Account: Start by registering and opening an account on your chosen betting site.
• Navigate to Football Section: Access the football section on the website; the best platforms will feature this subsection.
• Locate AFCON Betting: Look for the African Cup of Nations section. Top sites will have a dedicated area or feature for AFCON betting.
• Choose Your Match and Market: Within the AFCON section, select the match and market that interest you. Each selection will be added to your bet slip. Opt for sites that offer enhanced AFCON betting odds and bonuses.
• Review Bet Slip: Click on your bet slip to review your selections, see the total odds, and remove any bets if needed.
• Place Your Bet: Input the amount you’d like to wager. The site will automatically calculate your potential winnings. Confirm by placing your bet.

Don’t forget, once the tournament gets underway, the best sports betting sites, such as bet365, allow you to place bets in-play.

AFCON 2023 Betting Odds & Betting Tips

This section looks at the AFCON betting odds for the upcoming tournament. Here are some teams with the best odds as favourites winners of the AFCON edition.

• Senegal: 11/2
• Cameroon: 53/10
• Morocco: 7/1
• Ivory Coast: 8/1
• Tunisia: 10/1
• Mali: 10/1
• Egypt: 13/1
• Burkina Faso: 27/1

AFCON Winner Odds – Ivory Coast 8/1

The hosts are expected to give a strong show in front of their fans, who are expected to swarm the stadium proving they are a footballing nation. The Elephants enjoyed automatic qualification and are among the lowest AFCON winning odds, especially when playing at home. They have many experienced players featuring in Europe, such as Galatasaray’s Wilfred Zaha, former Arsenal’s Nicholas Pepe, and Dortmund’s Sebastian Haller, to inspire their quest.

AFCON Winner Odds – Morocco 7/1

The Atlas Lions made an incredible milestone for the entire continent by reaching the semi-final of the 2022 World Cup. However, they endured a challenging qualification for the games but are the best team in tournament form heading to the fun. All the players featured alongside the manager who excelled at the World Cup are still available, and we expect them to give a strong show in the tournament.

Amine Harit's Europa impact 🇲🇦🎩

2 #UEL games, 3 assists 👊 pic.twitter.com/8Q1mUvGWmr

— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) October 6, 2023

AFCON Winner Odds – Senegal 11/2

The reigning Champions, who won the last tournament on penalties, are the team to beat at the AFCON 2023. They have one of the strongest and most experienced teams in all positions and play with a rhythm than any other side in their quest for their first-ever title. Senegal breezed through the qualification, and we expect them to give a strong show in their title defence. Under the leadership of Sadio Mane, The Lions of Teranga are expected to provide a more mature performance at Ivory Coast. The defending champions are at the top of the AFCON winning odds.

AFCON Winner Odds – Egypt 13/1

The most dominant team at the AFCON are the most feared, and every side scheduled against them would feel like the underdogs. They missed the title through penalties and will be motivated to go in this edition. Mohammed Salah is the leader of the Pharaohs and has been in great form in the Premier League.

“The beaten finalists last year will be looking to avenge that defeat. With Mo Salah in their ranks, I expect them to do well. The bookies have them at 13/1, which seems great value to me.” – Luke Andrews, Betting Expert – UK Market.

I expect him to inspire them to victory. Surprisingly, many football betting sites are offering quite long odds. At 13/1, they are certainly worth a punt.

AFCON Winner Odds – Cameroon 53/10

With Onana between the posts and Mbuemo making the runs in attack, Cameroon is a force to be reckoned with. The nation has made incredible developments in football in their country under the able leadership of Samuel Etoo. For them, it will be more than just the football on the pitch but great organisation and preparation for the tournament. That’s why they are far from the AFCON winner odds but have a real chance at the title.

The AFCON odds 2023 are very close, showing how closely contested this edition will likely be.

At the time of writing, it is unknown which broadcaster will show AFCON 2023 games. Last tournament, Sky TV showed 52 live games, and the BBC broadcast ten live games, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the same happens for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.