Africa’s largest soccer pageant – the boys’s Africa Cup of Nations 2023 – is being hosted by Côte d’Ivoire in west Africa and can culminate in its last match on 11 February 2024.
Greater than ever earlier than, the world shall be watching the motion on the thirty fourth version of the cup, provided that a few of soccer’s biggest athletes shall be taking part. Add to this the truth that the event takes place within the European winter and so it does not face competitors from every other main worldwide tournaments besides the AFC Asian Cup.
Learn extra: Africa Cup of Nations showcases the continent’s best footballers – and China’s financial clout
The event has its critics, particularly in Europe, the place a number of golf equipment shall be shedding key gamers to African groups. Even so, only a few will doubt that Afcon has entered a brand new period.
As a scholar of sports activities communication with a give attention to African soccer, I imagine that this shall be a document yr for Afcon. Star sights apart, the event continues to develop when it comes to world viewership, improved services, media consideration and elevated prize payouts.
Document prize cash
The Confederation of African Soccer (Caf) has introduced a 40% improve within the prize cash for successful Afcon. The successful nationwide workforce will take dwelling US$7 million whereas the runner-up takes US$4 million, third place takes US$2.5 million and the fourth positioned workforce takes US$1.3 million. Although nonetheless a good distance behind Europe, these prizes are bigger than what the Copa América (the South American Soccer Championship) provided in 2021.
Star sights
Africa’s star gamers are family names in Europe, because of excessive profile positions in main golf equipment. Large names like Victor Osimhen (Nigeria), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt) will all be representing their nations on the event. They received the highest three most votes for the 2023 African Participant of the Yr award. As well as, different Caf Awards finalists – Fiston Mayele (Congo), Peter Shalulile (Namibia) and Percy Tau (South Africa) – will all be taking part. Added to this line-up is the sensational Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
World viewers
The event shall be a world occasion. Caf has introduced a brand new set of broadcasting rights agreements. These embrace media agreements with the BBC and Sky within the UK, Band TV in Brazil, beIN and Canal+, amongst a number of different entities. These agreements imply that the event shall be watched stay in 180 nations everywhere in the world. Caf additionally introduced over 6,000 media purposes for accreditation. That is greater than double the purposes obtained for the earlier Afcon.
World class services
Côte d’Ivoire has pulled out all of the stops to make sure that this yr’s Afcon is a world class occasion. The host nation is estimated to have spent US$1 billion renovating roads, stadiums, hospitals and different infrastructure in preparation for the event. Past renovating present stadiums, the nation constructed three new venues. There are two new 20,000 capability stadiums. Laurent Pokou Stadium is in San-Pédro within the excessive south-west of the nation and Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium at Korhogo within the north.
The largest new facility, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, is positioned simply outdoors the financial capital, Abidjan, and was constructed with $260 million to seat 60,000 spectators all underneath a roof.
A few of these venues, just like the one in Korhogo, are accompanied by newly constructed inns, villas and roads. As host nation, Ivory Coast will even take pleasure in the good thing about a fan base that might enhance its workforce’s morale and possibilities of successful.
The favourites
A wholesome rivalry between nations – particularly from west Africa and north Africa – will improve the stakes at this yr’s Afcon. Twenty-four groups are taking part in within the group stage and 16 of them will qualify for the knockout stage. Because of this three groups will undergo from 4 of the six teams.
Join free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the most recent in African information delivered straight to your inbox
Learn extra: Girls’s Afcon 2022: Nigeria sweats as Morocco and Cote d’Ivoire usher in new period
Though Morocco turned the primary African workforce to achieve the semifinal of a males’s soccer World Cup, the Moroccans might discover it troublesome to win Afcon. Morocco has received just one Afcon title, again in 1976 in Ethiopia, and reached the ultimate in 2004 in Tunis. However the north African nation is firmly among the many favourites in Côte d’Ivoire. Becoming a member of them are the host nation and the defending champions, Senegal. Nigeria and Algeria are additionally sturdy contenders, with Mali a darkish horse for the championship.
Contemplating all these developments, there isn’t any doubt that the event will set information in viewership and for stadium attendance, within the course of opening up a brand new vista for Africa’s most prestigious event.
Afcon will get underneath approach on 13 January 2024.
Chuka Onwumechili, Professor of Communications, Howard College
