French Ligue 1 and Premier League rule
Excitement is buzzing around the continent as the biggest gathering of African football’s powerhouses occurs at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023.
Players plying their trade across the top leagues in Europe, Africa, and Asia will fight for national pride and bragging rights.
In this article by CAFOnline, we look at the diversity of the squads for the 24 qualified countries.
Six hundred twenty-eight players will represent the 24 qualified countries in the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON.
The French Ligue 1 dominates with 61 players playing in the topflight. PSG defender Achraf Hakimi and Ghana captain Andre Ayew, who plays for Le Havre.
Led by Mohammed Salah, thirty-one players are joining from the Premier League, and it could have been more if not for injuries to Thomas Partey and Wilfred Ndidi, among others.
The Saudi Pro League clubs have made the list due to the recent departure of some of the continent’s top talents from Europe to Saudi Arabia. There are twenty-five, including Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez, and Kalidou Koulibally.
Spain and Germany are also well represented at the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON. The La Liga has 22 while the Bundesliga has 17.
Reigning African footballer of the year, Victor Osimhen lead a tall list of Italian Serie A players to the tournament. A little over 15 players from Italy’s topflight are in Côte d’Ivoire for the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON.
The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON has found a treasure trove of talents in Africa’s domestic leagues. Mamelodi Sundowns, Al Ahly and Orlando Pirates dominate the list. The three clubs combined contributed 30 players, thanks to the qualification of South Africa and Egypt.
Simba SC, Young Africans, FC Nouadhibou, and Angola’s Atlético Petróleos de Luanda also share the overall talent representation at the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON.
