Senegal drawn in AFCON ‘Group of Death’
The 2023 African Cup of Nations gets underway in Ivory Coast and will be held from 13 January to 11 February (2024) with Senegal set to face Guinea, Cameroon and Gambia.
Ivorian capital Abidjan hosted the draw for the group stage of the 2023 AFCON and after the draw it was Group C that started to generate headlines with Senegal (current champions from the 2021 competition) drawn with Cameroon, Guinea and Gambia. Speaking after the draw, Sadio Mané, Senegal’s star striker claimed: “It’s a difficult group, plus I’m half Gambian and half Guinean,” explained the Al Nassr forward.
The groups are set. ✅#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 is now ready to kick off in January! 🇨🇮⚽️ pic.twitter.com/Xxanb9FDzp
— CAF (@CAF_Online) October 12, 2023
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Music star Akon was co-presenter at the draw as John Obi Mikel, Achraf, Drogba and Mané selected the teams that will compete in Ivory Coast. Morocco, another of the favorites, were handed a favorable draw and Group B will be a battle between Egypt and Ghana, two of the strongest teams on the continent.
Twenty-four teams will participate in Ivory Coast from 13 January to 11 February with many high profile European club players (Salah, Onana, Iñaki Williams, Osimhen...) set to miss action for their club sides with their absence inevitably set to provoke debate over the scheduling of AFCON.
AFCON 2023: Groups
GROUP A: Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
GROUP B: Mozambique, Cape Verde, Ghana and Egypt
GROUP C: Gambia, Guinea, Cameroon and Senegal
GROUP D: Angola, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Algeria
GROUP F: Tanzania, Zambia, Democratic Rep. Congo and Morocco