The last stage of the AFCON qualifiers will come up in September, and we can confirm all the countries that will make it to the 2023 AFCON. Here is a guide that will show you where and how to wager on the upcoming AFCON qualifying games.
AFCON Qualifiers 2023
With only 24 teams allowed a place at the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast, teams were grouped against each other to determine the countries that would qualify. All 54 countries were scheduled to participate in the qualifying rounds. However, they were later reduced to 48 after a preliminary round.
The 48 teams were grouped into 12 groups, 4 countries per group. Each team will play against the other 3 sides in the group 6 times in a home-and-away format. After the six rounds of games, 24 teams, including host Ivory Coast, will secure a place when the tournament kicks off in January 2024.
5 qualifying rounds of matches have so far been played, and 15 countries have already secured a place. Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Algeria, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Cape Verde, South Africa, Egypt, Senegal, Zambia, Tunisia, and Burkina Faso have all qualified for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. The last qualifying round games will be held in September 2023, with 9 places still up for grabs. The following matches are set to hold:
- Libya vs Equatorial Guinea
- Angola vs Madagascar
- Ghana vs Central African Republic
- Niger vs Uganda
- Algeria vs Tanzania
- Tunisia vs Botswana
- Egypt vs Ethiopia
- Burkina Faso vs Eswatini
- Mali vs South Sudan
- Mozambique vs Benin
- Malawi vs Guinea
- Mauritania vs Gabon
- DR Congo vs Sudan
- Ivory Coast vs Lesotho
- Senegal vs Rwanda
- Morocco vs Liberia
- Comoros vs Zambia
- Nigeria vs Sao Tome and Principe
- Togo vs Cape Verde
- Gambia vs Congo
- Guinea-Bissau vs Sierra Leone
- Cameroon vs Burundi
🌍 The Africa Cup of Nations Qualification: How Does it Work?
The Confederation of African Football set up the AFCON qualifier since only 24 teams can participate in the 2023 AFCON. As a result, teams were seeded according to FIFA ranking as of December 23, 2021. The top 42 countries on FIFA ranking automatically had a place in the qualifiers 2023. On the other hand, countries ranking 43 to 54 entered a preliminary round to determine the remaining 6 countries to make it to the qualifiers.
Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, Gambia, South Sudan, Mauritius, Chad, Sao Tome and Principe, Djibouti, Somalia, Seychelles, and Eritrea all entered the Preliminary. After playing a home-and-away two-legged format, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, and South Sudan joined the other 42 sides in the qualifiers.
In making a qualifiers 2023 draw, teams were included in four pots according to the FIFA ranking released on March 31, 2022. As earlier stated, the 48 countries were grouped into 12 groups, 4 teams per group from Group A to Group L. However, Ivory Coast was also seeded to participate in the qualifiers 2023 despite already qualified being the host. This meant that only one team in Ivory Coast’s group apart from Ivory Coast would qualify.
Although eligible for the qualifier, Zimbabwe and Kenya couldn’t participate due to FIFA suspension following their respective governmental interference in their football federations. Thus, only 46 countries were to participate, and two groups had to consist of just 3 countries. However, the rule remained intact, with only the group winners and runner-ups securing a place at AFCON 2023.
⚽ Best Goalscorers During the Qualifications
The 2023 AFCON qualifier has seen 261 goals scored in a total of 110 matches played so far. This is expected to increase after the last round of matches in September.
Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen currently leads the chart of the highest goalscorers with 7 goals, followed closely by Senegal’s Sadio Mane with 5 goals. Burkina Faso’s Dango Quattara, Central African Republic’s Louis Mafouta, Namibia’s Peter Shalulile, and Zambia’s Patson Daka all have 4 goals. Five players are on 3 goals: Algeria’s Mohamed El Amine Amoura, Guinea-Bissau duo Zinho Gano and Jorge Fernando Barbosa Intima, South Africa’s Lyle Foster, and Tunisia’s Youssef Msakni. Over 35 players have 2 goals, including Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, Ghana’s Mohammed Kudus, and Nigeria’s Moses Simon.
The goalscoring chart might change slightly after the last round of qualifiers. This depends on different factors, including already qualified teams resting their key players. Nigeria and Senegal may rest Osimhen and Mane, respectively, since both countries have already secured a place at AFCON 2023. Zambia may also leave Daka out of the squad since they’ve already qualified. This could be a chance for other players to climb the goalscoring chart.
🦅 Super Eagles During the AFCON Qualification
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have already secured a place in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with a game to spare. Placed in Group A, Nigeria currently has 12 points from 5 results, winning 4 and losing just one game so far. They were grouped with Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe.
The Super Eagles started their qualifiers with a 2-1 home win over Sierra Leone before beating Sao Tome and Principe 10-0 away from home in their second game. However, things took a bad turn in game 3 as Nigeria lost 0-1 at home to Guinea-Bissau. They later got their revenge in the return leg away from home, beating Guinea-Bissau 1-0. Nigeria confirmed their place in the 2023 AFCON by beating Sierra Leone 3-2 away from home in the 5th round of qualifying games.
They will face Sao Tome and Principe in the last round of the qualifiers in September. However, the game will only be for formalities since Sao Tome, and Principe have no chance to qualify. Group A has already been decided with Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau, the two sides to qualify from the group. Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe will have to try their luck in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
However, with Guinea-Bissau currently on 10 points from Group A, they stand a chance to displace Nigeria from group winners. Thus, both teams might take their respective last matches seriously.
New Appearances in the Next AFCON – Afcon Qualifiers
All sides currently in the qualifiers have played in the AFCON qualifiers before. However, from the countries participating in the current qualifiers, Sao Tome and Principe, Eswatini, Lesotho, and the Central African Republic have yet to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in their history.
Of these 4 countries, only the Central African Republic will be looking forward to the last round of qualifying AFCON 2023 dates in September. The Central African Republic have 7 points from 5 games, standing 3rd in group E. They closely follow Ghana and Angola, who have 9 and 8 points, respectively. A win over Ghana in September will see them move to 10 points, giving them a chance to qualify for their first-ever AFCON.
Burundi and Gambia also have the chance to make their second appearance. Burundi will face Cameroon in their last qualifying round after accruing 4 points from 3 games in Group C. Gambia, on the other hand, need to ensure they don’t lose to Congo in the last qualifying match to secure a place. They currently have 9 points from 5 games in Group C compared to Congo’s 6 points.
Where Can I Bet on the African Cup of Nations 2023?
Interested in betting on the AFCON 2023? We have gathered a list of the best betting sites for you. They are all focused on the African market and will have great odds for punters to look forward to. You may make AFCON predictions about the winners of the group matches in the tournament and the eventual final winner. Players can also bet on the last round of AFCON qualifiers coming up in September on these platforms.
You must create an account to bet at any of these sites. Look for the ‘Register’ or ‘Join’ button at the top right corner of the screen. After creating an account, you may deposit money and wager on any match, both upcoming and currently ongoing!
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