The 2024 Africa Cup of Nations or the AFCON will be the 34th edition of the competition and is being hosted by Ivory Coast for the second time. This edition of the biennial competition was initially planned to be held in the summer of 2013 to avoid scheduling conflicts with the European Leagues. However, CAF stuck to the January-February window AFCON is usually held due to adverse weather conditions in Ivory Coast at that time. From this season, Premier League will have a winter break so the schedule is unlikely to clash at least during the group stages of AFCON.
AFCON 2024 will start with the group stages on 13 January 2024 and end with the final on 11 February 2024. 24 nations have made it through the qualifiers to the main tournament with the sides divided into six groups of four. The top two teams from each group with four best third-place sides will progress to the Round of 16 stage of the competition. The final of the AFCON 2024 is scheduled at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan. Senegal are the defending champions having won the title for the very first time in 2021.
Hosts Ivory Coast will take on Guinea-Bissau in the opening match with three times winners Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea also part of Group A. Last edition’s beaten finalists and the most successful team with seven AFCON titles, Egypt will battle against four-time winners Ghana, Cape Verde and Mozambique. Group C will have the next successful side with five titles in Cameroon taking on holders Senegal with Gambia and Guinea making the rest of the members in the group.
Two-time winners Algeria are placed in a slightly easier Group D although they have to tackle tricky Burkina Faso side with Angola and Mauritania. Group E consists of two former winners Tunisia and South Africa paired with Mali and Namibia. The 2022 World Cup semifinalists Morocco, also the highest ranked team this edition, will face the challenge of two-time winners DR Congo and 2012 champions Zambia in Group F with the lowest ranked team in the competition, Tanzania being the other.
Group Stage
Group A
Equatorial Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Ivory Coast
Nigeria
Fixtures
Sunday, 14 January 2024
Ivory Coast vs Guinea-Bissau - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (01:30)
Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (19:30)
Thursday, 18 January 2024
Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea-Bissau - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (19:30)
Ivory Coast vs Nigeria - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (22:30)
Monday, 22 January 2024
Equatorial Guinea vs Ivory Coast - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (22:30)
Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria - Le Félicia, Abidjan (22:30)
Group B
Cape Verde
Egypt
Ghana
Mozambique
Fixtures
Sunday, 14 January 2024
Egypt vs Mozambique - Le Félicia, Abidjan (22:30)
Monday, 15 January 2024
Ghana vs Cape Verde - Le Félicia, Abidjan (01:30)
Friday, 19 January 2024
Egypt vs Ghana - Le Félicia, Abidjan (01:30)
Cape Verde vs Mozambique - Le Félicia, Abidjan (19:30)
Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Cape Verde vs Egypt - Le Félicia, Abidjan (01:30)
Mozambique vs Ghana - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (01:30)
Group C
Cameroon
Gambia
Guinea
Senegal
Fixtures
Monday, 15 January 2024
Senegal vs Gambia - Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro (19:30)
Cameroon vs Guinea - Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro (22:30)
Thursday, 18 January 2024
Senegal vs Cameroon - Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro (22:30)
Friday, 19 January 2024
Guinea vs Gambia - Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro (01:30)
Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Gambia vs Cameroon - Stade de la Paix, Bouaké (22:30)
Guinea vs Senegal - Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro (22:30)
Group D
Algeria
Angola
Burkina Faso
Mauritania
Fixtures
Tuesday, 16 January 2024
Algeria vs Angola - Stade de la Paix, Bouaké (01:30)
Burkina Faso vs Mauritania - Stade de la Paix, Bouaké (19:30)
Saturday, 20 January 2024
Algeria vs Burkina Faso - Stade de la Paix, Bouaké (19:30)
Mauritania vs Angola - Stade de la Paix, Bouaké (22:30)
Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Angola vs Burkina Faso - Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro (01:30)
Mauritania vs Algeria - Stade de la Paix, Bouaké (01:30)
Group E
Mali
Namibia
South Africa
Tunisia
Fixtures
Tuesday, 16 January 2024
Tunisia vs Namibia - Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo (22:30)
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Mali vs South Africa - Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo (01:30)
Sunday, 21 January 2024
Tunisia vs Mali - Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo (01:30)
Monday, 22 January 2024
South Africa vs Namibia - Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo (01:30)
Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Namibia vs Mali - Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pédro (22:30)
South Africa vs Tunisia - Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo (22:30)
Group F
DR Congo
Morocco
Tanzania
Zambia
Fixtures
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Morocco vs Tanzania - Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pédro (22:30)
Thursday, 18 January 2024
DR Congo vs Zambia - Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pédro (01:30)
Sunday, 21 January 2024
Morocco vs DR Congo - Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pédro (19:30)
Zambia vs Tanzania - Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pédro (22:30)
Thursday, 25 January 2024
Tanzania vs DR Congo - Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo (01:30)
Zambia vs Morocco - Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pédro (01:30)
Knockouts
Round of 16
Saturday, 27 January 2024
1D vs 3BEF - Stade de la Paix, Bouaké (22:30)
Sunday, 28 January 2024
2A vs 2C - Le Félicia, Abidjan (01:30)
1A vs 3CDE - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (22:30)
Monday, 29 January 2024
2B vs 2F - Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pédro (01:30)
1B vs 3ACD - Stade de la Paix, Bouaké (22:30)
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
1C vs 3ABF - Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro (01:30)
1E vs 2D - Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo (22:30)
Wednesday, 31 January 2024
1F vs 2E - Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pédro (01:30)
Quarterfinals
Friday, 2 February 2024
2A/2C vs 1D/3BEF - Stade de la Paix, Bouaké (22:30)
Saturday, 3 February 2024
2B/2F vs 1A/3CDE - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (01:30)
1E/2D vs 1C/3ABF - Stade de la Paix, Bouaké (22:30)
Sunday, 4 February 2024
1B/3ACD vs 1F/2E - Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro (01:30)
Semifinals
Wednesday, 7 February 2024
Winner QF1 vs Winner QF4 - Stade de la Paix, Bouaké (22:30)
Thursday, 8 February 2024
Winner QF3 vs Winner QF2 - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (01:30)
Third-Place
Sunday, 11 February 2024
Loser SF 1 vs Loser SF 2 - Stade de la Paix, Bouaké (01:30)
Final
Monday, 12 February 2024
Winner SF 1 vs Winner SF 2 - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (01:30)
Note: All Timings are in Indian Standard Time (IST)