The group stage at the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, being held in 2024, is well ongoing, and the last games of Groups A and B will be played this evening.
Of the 24 men’s football national teams gathered in the host nation, Ivory Coast, 16 will make it through to the next round (knockout).
Each of the top two teams from the six groups, plus the best four third-placed teams, will progress to the round of 16, while the remaining eight teams will see their campaigns end.
At 8 PM (EAT), Group A will be closing up, with hosts Ivory Coast meeting surprise group leaders Equatorial Guinea, while Nigeria faces already eliminated Guinea-Bissau.
Ivory Coast and Nigeria have to win to advance to the next round. Equatorial Guinea, with four points, is likely to advance regardless of the result.
The table leaders of Group B, Cape Verde, have already qualified for the next round. The pressure is on Egypt, Ghana, and Mozambique, as all of them stand a chance to make it to the next round.
Just like Cape Verde, Senegal, which is in Group C, is overly on the right path to defend the AFCON title. With six points, the Lions of Teranga have booked their places in the knockout stage. Cameroon and Guinea will fight for the second spot in the group. Gambia is already eliminated.
Group D has Angola, Burkina Faso, and Algeria contesting to qualify for the next stage, as Mauritania is already out. Angola and Burkina Faso, both with four points, face each other, while Algeria will battle Mauritania.
Group E is wide open for all teams to qualify. Mali, with four points, only have to avoid defeat against Namibia. South Africa, with their three points, faces Tunisia in a must-win tie for the North African nation, which has one point.
Just like Group E, Group F will also offer another entertaining ending, as all teams have a chance to qualify.
Group leaders Morocco, with four points, play Zambia, which has two points. Tanzania, with one point, faces DR Congo, which has two points.
This ongoing AFCON has been nothing short of entertaining, as 65 goals have been scored so far from 48 games. We’ve also witnessed teams undergoing bragging rights at the blow of the full-time whistle.