African Nations Championship 2023 Predictions

Postponed due to the World Cup, the African Nations Championship kicked off on the 13th of January, with hosts Algeria taking on Libya.

Known as the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship or CHAN 2022 (it remains 2022, although it’s being played in 2023), this is a biennial tournament with nations only allowed to pick players who are playing in their home countries.

Morocco are the reigning champions; however, they’ve threatened to pull out of the competition unless specific demands are met. 18 teams (including Morocco) are competing in this tournament, with the final taking place at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers on the 4th of February.

This ultimate guide to the African Nations Championship looks at the teams, players, and matches. Also, you can pick up betting tips, and predictions for the group matches through to the final.

Table of Contents

Favourites To Win

With CHAN only featuring local players, the tournament favourites are often different from AFCON betting. In addition, not all bookmakers offer outright bets on this competition at the moment. My feeling is that this is related to Morocco’s threat not to play. Once that issue is resolved, this market will appear.

However, based on previous performances, qualification matches, and betting odds for the upcoming group games, these are the three favourites tipped for African Nations Championship glory.

🇲🇦 Morocco

Having won the 2018 edition, which they hosted and the 2020 tournament in Cameroon, Morocco’s Atlas Lions are clearly the team to beat. Added to that, their heroics in the Qatar World Cup have put this team on a different level.

Although the World Cup stars who play in an overseas league cannot be selected for CHAN, there is plenty of depth in the country at present. If the spat with hosts Algeria is resolved, Morocco will be the team to beat.

🇩🇿 Algeria

Being the host nation, there is a lot of expectation for Algeria. However, their best performance to date is a fourth-place finish in 2011.

As hosts, they didn’t need to progress through the qualification rounds. Moreover, they have a favourable CHAN group, which consists of Libya, Ethiopia, and Mozambique. All of these sides are well below Algeria in the FIFA world rankings.

🇲🇱 Mali

You may wonder why teams like Senegal, Ghana, and Cameroon are not among the favourites. It’s simply because their star players are ineligible. That opens the door to other nations, such as Uganda and Mali.

Mali boast an impressive CHAN history with two runners-up finishes in the last three tournaments. Additionally, they have a relatively easy group, so everyone is expecting them to reach the 1/4 finals, which is the start of the knockout matches.

CHAN Betting Tips

Whatever matches you choose to bet on, it’s strongly advised that you research your betting tips when formulating your predictions. These are some key considerations to keep in mind.

🏆 Previous Years’ Trends

A good starting point when planning your CHAN bets is to review performances from previous tournaments. Remember, this is very different from AFCON betting due to the player rules.

Morocco stormed to the title last time, scoring 15 goals in their six matches. Moreover, 9 of their goals came in the knockout stages, as they brushed aside Zambia (3-1), Cameroon (4-0), and Mali (2-0) in the final.

Mali reached the final in 2016 and 2020, and Guinea have played in the semi-finals in two of the last three competitions. Also, look at the group matches to learn more about the upcoming head-to-head encounters. Stats like goals scored and conceded are vital for finding good value CHAN bets.

🏆 Team Line-Ups

You will not see Sadio Mane playing for Senegal because he plays in the German league, so you need to spend some time studying the line-ups.

As with all formats of tournament football, squads will be rotated, particularly for the group matches. Therefore, savvy bettors wait until the starting 11’s are announced before placing their wagers.

🏆 Form Of Individual Players And Teams

With CHAN being held mid-season, it presents the perfect opportunity to check on the form of individual players. To do this, you want to get a squad list for the teams. From that, you can delve into the league and check the stats, including goals scored if the player is a striker.

Team form is also important, but be aware of the line-ups. For instance, Morocco – and also Senegal to a lesser degree – had stellar world cups. However, their team for the African Nations Championship will be vastly different to the one that played in Qatar.

A good resource for ‘ones to watch’ is the official CAF website. It has a dedicated section on CHAN 2022, with player profiles, team previews and stats. Once you’ve got a good understanding of the form, you’ll be more confident about placing your bets.

What Should You Avoid When Betting On CHAN?

With 30 games being played in just over three weeks, there are many betting opportunities on CHAN. However, this can be both a blessing and a curse if you aren’t properly prepared. Here are some pro tips for things to avoid.

⛔ Not Researching Your Bets

Don’t think you have to bet on every match. Instead, take a measured approach by thoroughly researching the team (or teams) that you are interested in. It is better to place one bet a day that you believe has a great chance of winning rather than three bets without any planning.

Look at the stats, check the goals scored, the line-ups, and read match reports. Get as much information as possible before forming your predictions. This doesn’t guarantee you’ll win every bet, but it should improve your overall win-loss betting ratio.

⛔ Loss-chasing

One of the main reasons why punters lose money when betting on sports is chasing their losses. Imagine that you had a bet on a team to win, and the opposition scored two late goals to snatch the victory (and the winnings) away from you.

You feel tilted, so you go chasing your losses. Another match is about to kick off. You haven’t put any research into the teams other than a quick look at the group standings. Regardless, you bet on Team A to win, hoping to win back the money you just lost. Unfortunately, Team A also loses, and now you’re down twice as much.

This type of scenario happens – and even experienced punters are guilty of it. Don’t be one of those bettors. You will not win every bet – that is a fact. Simply go back to looking at the stats and researching another wager. Never bet blind, as it’s a lottery, and the odds are against you.

⛔ Only Choosing Low-Odds Bets

During qualification for CHAN, Zambia were slight favourites to beat Mozambique in the second leg of their qualification match. Zambia were at home, having drawn 0-0 away the week before. Still, they ended up losing.

The point is that low-odds bets don’t win all the time, and often their value (or lack thereof) doesn’t make them very attractive to punters. For example, at CHAN 2020, Mali v Congo in the 1/4 finals – an over 0.5 goals was priced at 1.10. The match ended 0-0. The same happened with Mali v Guinea in the semi-finals, another 0-0.

Your predictions should help you find value bets. This is where you believe the probability of a certain result is higher than the bookmaker’s implied probability.

Where Can You Bet On The African Nations Championship?

Although CHAN doesn’t carry the prestige of the Africa Cup of Nations, the top-rated bookmakers in Tanzania will have markets for this event. Get your predictions ready, and check out these CHAN betting sites.

Summary

CHAN is guaranteed to be filled with passion and enthusiasm, as well as an abundance of betting options. To summarise what’s been said, put in the effort to research every bet so that your predictions are based on knowledge.

There are some tasty matches in the group stage, and you can check things like goals scored and other stats to help with your betting. Finally, don’t chase your losses. Yes, losing hurts, but not as much as losing back-to-back bets because you were revenge betting.

Browse through the list of CHAN betting sites, and enjoy the tournament.

CHAN 2023 – FAQs

Below you will find some frequently asked questions about the African Nations Championship.