Group B – Facts & Figures

Egypt start their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire 2023 campaign when they play Mozambique in Group on Sunday.

Ahead of the match, CafOnline.com takes a look at some interesting facts and figures of the two sides below:

• This will be the fourth encounter between Egypt and Mozambique at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. The previous three meetings all produced a 2-0 group stage victory for Egypt in 1986, 1998 and 2010.

• Mozambique have been drawn in the same group as Egypt for the fourth time in five appearances at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. Including their opener in Abidjan, 31% of Mozambique’s matches at the tournament have taken place against the Pharaohs.

• This is Egypt’s 26^th appearance at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, a record in the history of the tournament. They have won it seven times – more than any other side – and have also reached the final in five of their last six participation.

• Egypt have lost only one of their last 19 group matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (W14 D4); it was a 1-0 defeat against Nigeria in the 2021 edition, which also happens to be the only goal the Pharaohs have conceded in their last 11 group games.

• The last time Egypt lost an AFCON group game by more than one goal was over 30 years ago, in the 1990 edition against hosts Algeria (0-2).

• Egypt have won eight of their 10 matches in 2023 in all competitions (D1 L1), their only defeat coming against Tunisia in a friendly last September (1-3).

• This is Mozambique’s 5^th appearance at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, their first since 2010. They have finished bottom of their group in each of their four previous participations.

• Mozambique have won none of their 12 previous matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (D2 L10). Only Benin (14) have played more matches at the tournament without ever registering a single win.

• Coming into this year’s CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Mozambique have failed to score in 75% of their AFCON matches (9 out of 12), the highest ratio among any team to have played at least 10 matches at the tournament.

• Among the 24 teams that will feature in Côte d’Ivoire, none posted a lower goal difference during the qualifying campaign than Mozambique (-1).

• Since his debut in the competition in 2017, Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in 64% of Egypt’s goals at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (6 goals + 3 assists, out of a team total of 14 goals).

Cote d’Ivoire open TotalEnergies AFCON with solid win over Guinea-Bissau

Seko Mohamed Fofana of the Elephants of Ivory Coast celebrates goal with Teammates during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations match between Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea Bissau at Alassane Ouattara stadium in Abidjan

Dazzling TotalEnergies CAF AFCON opener showcases Cote d’Ivoire’s vibrant culture

PHOTOS: TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire 2023 opening ceremony

Group B – Facts & Figures

• Ghana begins their quest for their fifth TotalEnergies CAF Cup of Nations title when they play Cape Verde in their Group B on Sunday at the tournament in Cote d’Ivoire.

• Ahead of the match, CafOnline.com takes a look at some interesting facts and figures of the two sides below:

• Ghana and Cape Verde are facing each other for the second time at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. Their only previous meeting saw Ghana win 2-0 in the quarter-finals of the 2013 edition.

• This is Ghana’s 24^th appearance in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, the most after Egypt (26) and Côte d’Ivoire (25). The Black Stars won the Africa Cup of Nations in four of their first seven appearances (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982) but have won none of their subsequent 16.

• Ghana have won only one of their last nine matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (D4 L4), a 2-0 group stage victory against Guinea-Bissau in 2019. They were knocked out in the group stages of the last AFCON.

• This is Cape Verde’s fourth appearance at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, with all four taking place since 2013. Six of their 11 matches at the tournament so far have ended in a draw, with their two wins taking place against Angola in 2013 (2-1) and Ethiopia in 2022 (1-0), both in the group stages.

• Cape Verde has qualified from the AFCON group stages on two previous occasions (2013 and 2021) but has never won a game in the competition’s knockout phase. They have lost only one of their nine group matches (W2 D6) against Burkina Faso in January 2022 (0-1).

• Cape Verde has never lost its opening match at a CAF Africa Cup of Nations (W1 D2).
• Only one of Cape Verde’s 11 previous games at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations has produced more than two goals.

• Cape Verde’s eight goals in the qualifiers for this year’s CAF Africa Cup of Nations were all scored by eight players.

• Mohammed Kudus was directly involved in 50% of Ghana’s goals in the qualifiers for this year’s tournament, scoring three times and assisting one (4/8).

• If he plays, this will be André Ayew’s eighth CAF Africa Cup of Nations, which will equal the record held by Cameroon’s Rigobert Song and Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan. Meanwhile, if he scores for Ghana, he will set a new record of having found the net in seven AFCON tournaments.

Group A – Facts & Figures

• Nigeria will play Equatorial Guinea in their opening Group A match at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Abidjan on Sunday.

• Ahead of the match, CafOnline.com takes a look at some interesting facts and figures of the two sides below:

• This will be the first encounter between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. They faced each other in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers – Nigeria won both matches (1-0; 2-0).

• Nigeria is making its 20th appearance at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. They have won the tournament on three occasions (1980, 1994, 2013) and reached the semi-finals in 14 of their last 17 AFCON participations.

• Nigeria was beaten as a finalist the last time the CAF Africa Cup of Nations was held in Côte d’Ivoire, and they lost 3-1 against Cameroon in 1984.

• Nigeria have won 12 of their last 15 matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (L3). Their last draw dates back to the 2013 group stages against Zambia (1-1).

• Nigeria scored 22 goals in six games during qualifying for the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, the highest tally among the 24 teams at this year’s tournament. 10 of those goals came from Victor Osimhen; that’s twice as many as any other player (4 players on 5 goals).

• This is Equatorial Guinea’s fourth CAF Africa Cup of Nations appearance, but it’s only the second time they have qualified as non-hosts. So far, they have always reached the knockout stages: quarter-finalists in 2012 and 2021 and 4^th place in 2015.

• Equatorial Guinea have never scored more than two goals in their previous 15 matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations.

• Only two of Equatorial Guinea’s 11 goals at AFCON have been scored in the first half of matches.

• During the qualifying campaign, Victor Osimhen was directly involved in 55% of Nigeria’s goals (10 goals, 2 assists). It’s the highest tally of goals scored in the qualifying phase of an AFCON edition since Moumouni Dagano with Burkina Faso in 2010 (12 goals).

• Despite Victor Osimhen scoring 10 of their 22 goals, Nigeria had 10 different goal scorers in qualifying for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, more than any other team.

Where to watch TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023

Africa’s biggest event, TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 will kick-off at Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe at 20h00 GMT.

The opening match will be live in over 170 territories globally – making it one of the biggest events in international sport. Tickets for the match between hosts, Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea Bissau have been sold out.

The opening ceremony of the competition will start at 18h00 GMT (20h00 Cairo, 21h00 Nairobi, 19h00 Casablanca).

Football fans in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, North America, South Pacific and the Caribbeans will be able to follow all the action live. Over 110 broadcasters have concluded the rights for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023.

The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 is the biggest sporting event in Africa.

Below are the official CAF broadcast partners set to beam the action live:

BeIN Sport

CANAL+

New World TV

StarTimes

SuperSport

Africa Free to Air (FTA)

EPTV (Algeria)

GBC – Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (Ghana)

AfroSport (Nigeria)

TBC – Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (Tanzania)

Target TV  (Tanzania)

Africa Media Group (Tanzania)

AZAM Media (Tanzania)

SABC – South African Broadcasting Corporation (South Africa)

Eswatini TV (Eswatini)

Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (Uganda)

TV Tele Congo (Congo)

RadioTelevision Gabon Group (Gabon)

RTNC – Radio Television Nationale Congolaise (DR Congo)

ZNBC/Diamond TV-Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (Zambia)

CRTV/Canal 2 – Cameroon Radio Television (Cameroon)

TPA – Televisão Pública de Angola (Angola)

ZBC – Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation  (Zimbabwe)

Chad  (Chad)

Gambia Radio and Television Services (The Gambia)

Radiodiffusion Télévision Guinéènne (Guinea)

Botswana – DBS (Botswana)

Mashariki TV (Burundi)

Televisao de Moçambique (Mozambique)

NBC – Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (Namibia)

RNA – Radio Nacional Angola (Angola)

KBC – Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (Kenya)

Radiotelevisão Caboverdiana (Cape Verde)

Televisión de Guinea Ecuatoria (Equatorial Guinea),

EPTV – Public Establishment of Television     (Algeria)

Botswana Television (Botswana)

YMH Group (Botswana)

New World (Togo)

Europe

BeIN Sport

CANAL+

Sky Sports

BBC

Okko

Ziggo

Sport Digital

Sport Italia

RMC (Radio)

A1

Megogo

Saran

Joyn – Puls 24

Art Motion/Art Sport

Silknet

Viaplay

Sport5

Sport TV Portugal

LaLiga+

Sport Klub

RTBF

Asia

BeIN Sport (MENA)

BeIN Asia

FanCode

Americas

BeIN US

WINNERS SPORTS

Band TV

Sports Max in the Caribbean

Nigeria’s goals machine goes up against the Equatorial Guinean fortress on Sunday

What a tantalizing fixture on matchday one of the other  Group A qualifying plays on Sunday, which has Nzelang Nacional’s magnificent goalkeeping fortress, Jesus Owono, going up against Nigeria’s goalscoring machine Victor Osimhen.

At 22, Equatorial Guinean goalkeeper Owono holds the reins of the Nzalang Nacional defense.

“He’s a modern goalkeeper. On the pitch, his charisma speaks for itself. I admire his kicking game.” confides Juan Micha Obiang, the Equatoguinean coach.

With his athletic ability and 84-meter height, the Deportivo Alavés goalkeeper is one of Africa’s most highly-rated keepers, along with André Onana and Edouard Mendy.

Owono has all the qualities of a talented goalkeeper. He has excellent reflexes, is quick and capable of powerful and precise distribution (both with the foot and the hand), and is excellent at stopping penalties.

“I had never been classically trained and in a way that probably helped me. I had no time to think, so I acted on instinct.”

This is a natural gift for the shot-stopper. He defines himself as someone with an immense curiosity about everything”, who learns about things while having fun.

Choosing football as a profession is also a way for him to find an activity with well-defined rules that allows him to have fun while avoiding distractions. “Football imposed a disciplined environment on and off the field for me.”

Facing Nigeria, Jesús Owono will have to deploy all his qualities to repel the attacks of the Super Eagles.

Euphoria engulfs Abidjan as TotalEnergies CAF AFCON fever grips Cote d’Ivoire

The streets of Abidjan are buzzing with excitement as fans flock in from across Africa ahead of the continent’s biggest football party kicking off on Saturday night. 

Cote d’Ivoire’s capital has become a sea of color and noise as the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations hype shifts into overdrive.

Fans draped in their national colors have poured into the city, with streets and bars filled with jerseys, flags, and vuvuzelas.

Buses full of supporters have recently arrived from neighboring countries like Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, and Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the airport has been abuzz as fans and media fly in from across Africa and the world before the tournament opener, with cities across the country witnessing a similar wave.

“The atmosphere here is amazing already,” said Morocco fan Hassan El Bakkali told CafOnline.com in Abidjan on Saturday morning.

An Ivorian fan, Yves Bedie, said: “Everyone is excited for the football to start. You can feel the AFCON fever building in the city.”

Vendors are capitalizing on the football frenzy by selling team jerseys, caps, scarves, and paraphernalia on street corners.

Roads are jammed with honking cars and motorbikes festooned with flags as national pride sweeps through Abidjan.

Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Morocco, and Mali colors are proving particularly popular given the heavy expectations on the hosts and reigning champions.

But shirts from Nigeria, Cameroon, and North African nations like Egypt also sell fast.

A carnival atmosphere will engulf the stadium when the Elephants take on Guinea-Bissau at the Stade Olympique d’Ebimpé on Saturday night.

Ivorians are confident their array of Europe-based stars like Sebastian Haller, Simon Adingra, and Franck Kessie can deliver glory on home soil.

An electric opening ceremony will further crank up the voltage inside the packed 60,000-seater arena in Abidjan.

But the AFCON passion is not confined to the Ivorian capital, with millions across Africa eagerly counting down to kick-off.

From fan parks in Senegal to crowded bars in Morocco, an entire continent is holding its breath in anticipation.

The following month will be an enthralling ride for Africans as 24 finalists battle for continental supremacy.

But this weekend, all eyes are on Abidjan as Cote d’Ivoire prepares to host the world’s most thrilling sporting spectacle.