The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has rewritten the script, shattering expectations and leaving even the most seasoned football pundits and sports betting professionals speechless.
No one knows what to think anymore.
Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Mali, DR Congo, Angola, South Africa, Cape Verde and Guinea have all qualified for the quarterfinals. However, very few could have predicted the events leading up to this stage.
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No AFCON Glory for African Giants
The 2023 AFCON is living up to its theme of the underdog tournament and a burial ground for giants with turns, twists and upsets unprecedented in a major global competition.
Senegal, World Cup semifinalists Morocco and seven-time winners Egypt were the top three favourites for the title. None of the three made the quarterfinals of the 2023 AFCON.
Every team that made the quarterfinals of the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon – Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Senegal, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Cameroon, Egypt and Morocco – are out. This is unprecedented in any major football tournament anywhere in the world.
Every country that qualified for the 2022 World Cup – Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia – have been knocked out. Morocco’s ouster means no North African team remains in the tournament.
The defending champions are out. The previous champions are out. The champions before that are out. In fact, none of the top-ranked five teams remain, with Tunisia and Algeria even failing to progress from the group stage.
Of the eight quarterfinalists, only Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Mali are ranked inside Africa’s top ten.
With four of the remaining teams – Cape Verde, Angola, Guinea and Mali – having never won the AFCON before, we could see a first-time champion crowned for the second straight tournament.
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations has been a spectacle unlike any other. The dominance of established powers? Challenged. The narrative of African football? Forever altered.
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2023 AFCON: Defending Champion ‘Curse’ Strikes Again
Defending champions Senegal qualified for the Round of 16 as the only team with a hundred per cent record in the group stage. Their reward was a clash with hosts Ivory Coast, themselves, only making the last 16 as the fourth-best third-placed team after a late Algeria goal against Zambia prevented the Elephants from crashing out in the group stage.
The contest ended 1-1 after extra time before Ivory Coast prevailed 5-4 in the ensuing penalty shootouts, adding another chapter to the peculiar ‘curse’ that has plagued the defending champions of Africa’s most prestigious football tournament.
Senegal’s exit marked the seventh consecutive edition in which the defending champions were eliminated before the quarterfinals.
Since Egypt won three consecutive AFCON titles between 2006 and 2010, no nation has successfully defended the trophy.
The curse first cast its spell in 2012 when Egypt failed to qualify for the tournament Equatorial Guinea and Gabon co-hosted.
In 2013, Zambia, winners of the 2012 edition, exited at the group stage, becoming the first defending champion to be knocked out in the first round of the Africa Cup of Nations in over two decades.
Nigeria won the 2013 AFCON in South Africa but failed to qualify for the 2015 edition. Cameroon, champions in 2017, were ousted in the last 16 by Nigeria in 2019, while Algeria’s title defence in 2021 ended prematurely, with the team finishing bottom of their group.
Senegal’s campaign in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations took place against this historical backdrop. Yet, despite their exceptional performance in the group stage and status as tournament favourites, the Teranga Lions could not avoid the same fate that had befallen their predecessors.
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2023 AFCON: Road to the Quarterfinals
Nigeria (6), the highest-ranked team left in the tournament, will hope not to become the latest victims of the 2023 AFCON giant-killing trend when they take on the Palancas Negras of Angola in the quarterfinals on Friday, February 2, 2024.
The Super Eagles dispatched the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the last round, while Angola, unbeaten and looking to qualify for the semifinals for the first time, beat Namibia even though they had goalkeeper Neblu sent off in the first half.
DR Congo have yet to win a game all tournament, recording four straight draws. The Leopards beat Egypt’s Pharaohs on penalties to set up a last-eight clash against a Guinea side looking for a maiden semifinal berth.
Guinea’s Syli National required a 98th-minute goal from Mohamed Bayo to defeat Equatorial Guinea in the previous round. This marked the latest winning goal in an AFCON knockout tie that did not require extra time.
Ivory Coast have made the most of their second life, dumping defending champions Senegal out of the competition, but the Elephants will be tested by tournament dark horses Mali in the quarterfinals.
The Eagles, unbeaten since June 2023, topped their group and saw off Burkina Faso 2-1 in the previous round.
Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks have been one of the surprise packages of the finals, topping their group before beating Mauritania 1-0 and are on the brink of a first-ever semifinal appearance.
Their opponents, the Bafana Bafana of South Africa, have kept three successive clean sheets and ousted Morocco in the round of 16, becoming the first team to stop the Atlas Lions from scoring in 12 consecutive AFCON matches. South Africa, champions in 1996, have not reached the semifinals since they finished third in 2000.
200% Welcome Bonus Up to ₦100.0002023 AFCON Quarterfinal Fixtures, Venues & Dates
- 02/02 18:00 Nigeria vs Angola (Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan)
- 02/02 21:00 DR Congo vs Guinea (Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan)
- 03/02 18:00 Mali vs Ivory Coast (Stade de la Paix, Bouaké)
- 03/02 21:00 Cape Verde vs South Africa (Charles Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro)
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100% Welcome Bonus up to ₦200.0002023 AFCON Schedule
Semifinals
- 07/02 18:00 Winner QF1 vs Winner QF4 (Stade de la Paix, Bouaké)
- 07/02 21:00 Winner QF3 vs Winner QF2 (Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan)
Third place play-off
- 10/02 21:00 SF1 vs SF2 losers, (Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan)
Final
- 11/02 SF1 vs SF2 winners, (Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan)
2023 Africa Cup of Nations 2023 top scorers
- 5 Goals: Emilio Nsue (Equatorial Guinea)
- 4 Goals: Gelson Dala (Angola), Mostafa Mohamed (Egypt)
- 3 Goals: Mabululu (Angola), Lassine Sinayoko (Mali), Baghdad
Bounedjah (Algeria), Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso)
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2023 AFCON Betting Offers
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Simply open a Betbonanza account, place a minimum bet of ₦500 on any AFCON match during the week, and you’ll be automatically entered into the draw for fantastic prizes like TVs, refrigerators, phones, laptops, and even cash and free bets!
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AFRICUP BONANZABet9ja ₦20 Million Ultimate AFCON Jackpot
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- Deposit at least ₦500 between now and February 11. Bet on at least one AFCON event to qualify for the draw.
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- Points are awarded based on your winning bet slip odds. The higher the odds, the more points you score.
The player with the most points at the end of the tournament wins the biggest share of the jackpot. But don’t worry, there are prizes for positions 1-10 as well!
₦20m: Ultimate AFCON Jackpot2023 AFCON Quarterfinals: Unwritten Stories Await
The 2023 AFCON has been a tournament for the ages, a testament to the unpredictable beauty of African football. It’s a reminder that dreams can come true and that sometimes, the most unlikely heroes write the most inspiring stories.
This is a tournament where grit trumps pedigree, where passion fuels improbable victories, and where every match is a potential upset waiting to happen.
With the quarterfinals upon us, the excitement only intensifies. Will Angola continue their giant-killing spree against Nigeria? Can Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks make history with a first-ever semifinal appearance? Will Mali’s unbeaten run continue against the reborn hosts?
The answers remain unwritten, the outcomes uncertain. But one thing is clear: the 2023 AFCON has redefined what it means to be an underdog, etching itself in the annals of footballing history as a tournament where the impossible became the norm.