Not too long ago, the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) announced the stadiums which will be hosting the qualifiers for Tanzania this year. The home team will be playing against Algeria on June 8 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium. AFCON has chosen several stadiums across Africa to hold this year’s qualifying matches.
There will be only 24 countries out of the 48 African Nations participating in the AFCON 2023 qualifiers stage. These countries have been grouped into four, with Super Eagles in Group B with 6 points from their last games against Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe.
The AFCON qualifiers will kick off in March 2023, after it was postponed in September 2022 because of the World Cup Qatar event.
How Does AFCON Qualification Work?
If you don’t understand how the qualifying matches work, we’ll explain the process in this section. Usually, 24 qualifiers are picked based on their world rankings and then grouped into four, with 6 countries in each group.
Each of the teams will face the other African nations in the three groups. For each win, the team will be awarded three points and one point for a draw. Losses do not count for points during the qualifiers.
The winners and the runner ups of each group as well as the teams holding third place will go for a second round. The total number of teams in the second round will be 16. If, after the second round, there is a tie on points, the standings will be decided by the following:
- Points on head-to-head matches;
- The goals difference on head-to-head matches;
- The number of goals scored in head-to-head matches.
If two teams end in a tie even after following this head-to-head criteria, the placings will be decided by the goal difference and goals scored or drawing lots in all the group matches.
The AFCON qualifiers comprise of:
- Eight second round matches,
- Quarter finals,
- Semi finals,
- Third place playoffs,
- Final.
If there is a draw after the 90 minutes game, an extra 30 minutes will be awarded. If the draw still remains in extra time, a penalty shootout will decide who wins.
Qualification Rounds
The AFCON 2023 qualifiers have two very important stages, the preliminary stage and the qualifiers itself. Last year, there were teams that performed outstandingly well, and here’s what we know so far about the qualifying rounds.
Preliminary Round
The preliminary round took place between the 23rd to 29th of March 2022. The round was played between the 12 lowest ranked teams among the 48 entrants.
Gambia vs. Chad
However, the most outstanding performance was seen in the match between Gambia and Chad, with Gambia leading with two goals scored by Musa Narrow. Gambia’s top scorer is Ablie Jallow, who will also be playing alongside Sulayman Marreh, Ebrima Darboe, Yusupha Bobb, Ibou Touray and Omar Colley.
Somalia vs. Eswatini
Eswatini qualified in the preliminary stage. Scoring a total of 3 goals in their two preliminary rounds. Eswatini was able to make the qualifying group stages of the AFCON 2023. With its recent appointment of Pieter de Jongh as head coach, there’s more to be seen from this team.
Eswatini will be including their two foreign based players Sagrada Esperança, Angola, in Bonginkosi Dlamini. They also have top players like Justice Figuareido and will pick the other seven from Royal Leopards.
Group Stage
The qualifying stage will involve groups A to L, with four qualifying African Nations in each category. The qualification rounds will kick off on the 20th of March, 2023.
Groups
These are the groups for the AFCON qualifiers 2023 matches and what to expect.
Group A
Nigeria is currently leading Group A with 6 points with three other countries in this category. The Super Eagles will be playing against Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone and Sao Tome to get to the second round. Nigeria will be playing its first match against Guinea Bissau on March 27.
Group B
Burkina Faso leads Group B with 6 points as well; others in this division are Cape Verde, Eswatini, and Togo. Burkina Faso will be facing Togo on 20th March.
Group C
Cameroon, Burundi, Namibia and Kenya. March 20 will see a face off between Cameroon and Namibia.
Group D
Ethiopia, Malawi, Guinea, and Egypt. The first match will be between Guinea and Ethiopia on March 20.
Group E
Ghana, Angola, Central African Republic, and Madagascar. Ghana will be facing Angola on March 20.
Group F
Algeria, Niger, Tanzania, and Uganda. Algeria will be playing against Niger on March 20.
Group G
Mali, Congo, Gambia, and South Sudan. The match between Mali and Gambia is slated for March 20.
Group H
Ivory Coast, Zambia, Comoros, and Lesotho. Ivory Coast will be facing Comoros in this category on March 20.
Group I
Mauritania, Gabon, Sudan, and D.R Congo. The first game in this category will kick off on March 20 between Mauritania and Congo.
Group J
Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, and Botswana. Libya will be playing against Tunisia on the 27th of March.
Group K
Morocco, South Africa, Liberia, and Zimbabwe. Morocco will see its first match against Liberia on the 9th of April.
Group L
Senegal, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Benin. The first match in this category will be against Senegal and Mozambique on the 20th of March.
Conclusion
The AFCON qualifiers 2023 will kick off on the 20th of March this year. We can expect some of the best performances from favourites. This year’s competition promises to be a tough one with top players from the qualifying nations. You can place your bets ahead of the AFCON 2023 qualification matches.
FAQ
The qualification rounds are yet to kick off. However, the favorites to qualify for AFCON 2023 are Nigeria, Algeria, Senegal, Ghana, and Morocco.
There are 24 teams in total out of the 48 African countries that will qualify for AFCON.
Yes, South Africa will be participating in the AFCON qualifiers 2023. They are in third place in Group K.
The odds are on the Super Eagles of Nigeria to win the African Cup of Nations 2023.
Ivory Coast will be the host of the AFCON 2023 games scheduled to take place in February 2024.
