AFCON 2023: Who are the main contenders for the trophy?

Flashscore's extensive coverage of the AFCON has been running for several weeks already. Get ready for the tournament with the most important info:

AFCON 2023 fixtures, groups and all you need to know

A Lions' battle and the Sahel derby: A guide to AFCON's biggest rivalries

Will Kudus overcome Salah, Osimhen and Mane? Contenders for AFCON Golden Boot

The biggest names missing from AFCON 2023

South Africa's Dean Furman believes AFCON 2023 to be the most competitive ever

The contenders for the crown

A month of football festivities with drama, excitement, and incredible moments. At the end of it all, only one of the 24 participating teams will lift the trophy.

In the 2021 edition of AFCON, Senegal were crowned champions of Africa for the first time in their history. 

Can the Lions of Teranga defend their title or will one of Africa’s giants lay their hands on the trophy again? Or could we have an upset with a country winning its maiden trophy once again?

Here are the five contenders for this year’s AFCON trophy.

Senegal

A list of contenders will never be complete without the defending champions, especially when it’s Senegal.

The Lions of Teranga have kept the core of their squad and will hope to once again roar this time in the Ivory Coast.

The thing about Senegal’s success is that it’s been progressive. The majority of the squad has worked with head coach Aliou Cisse since 2015.

Before winning the last edition, they had exited the group stage, reached the quarter-final, and lost a final in the preceding three editions.

Now they’re on top and knowing that time is running out for key players like Edouard Mendy (31), Kalidou Koulibaly (32), Cheikh Kouyate (34), and Sadio Mane (31), the will to defend the title is even stronger.

Morocco

1976 remains the last and only time Morocco won the AFCON.

It’s been long overdue for a country that produced some of the best players on the continent and has had one of Africa’s greatest coaches.

In recent times, the Atlas Lions head into each tournament as favourites but haven’t got past the quarter-finals stage since reaching the final in 2004.

As a result, they seem to have adopted the tag of perennial underachievers. There is a renewed sense of hope after their exploits in Qatar in 2022.

Walid Regragui’s men became the first African country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup beating teams like Belgium, Spain, and Portugal in the process.

Breaking that barrier for the continent could provide the much-needed strength for Morocco to break their barrier on the continent.

The Atlas Lions will once again rely on key players such as Yassine Bounou (32), Achraf Hakimi (25), Romain Saiss (33), Sofyan Amrabat (33), Hakim Ziyech (30), and Youssef En-Nesyri (26).

En-Nesyri has extra motivation as he can become the first Moroccan player to score in four different editions of the tournament. 

Ivory Coast

History hasn’t favoured host countries in the AFCON. Since 1982, only five out of 19 host nations have managed to win the competition. More recently, none of the last nine hosts in the last eight AFCONs have won the tournament with Egypt being the only standout in 2006.

However, there’s something different about Ivory Coast in this tournament. There’s a consensus around the country that this team can do well, but not necessarily win the trophy. In a sense, this has reduced the pressure on the team and it could play into their hands.

They’re in a difficult group with Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea Bissau. But you’d expect the two-time AFCON champions to make it out of the group.

They’re expected to have a stronger defence with the inclusion of Willy Boly (32), Ousmane Diomande (20), and Evan Ndicka (24) which can provide an anchor in games. The team can then rely on the technical brilliance of Franck Kessie (27) and Seko Fofana (28), as well as the pace of Jeremie Boga (27), Nicolas Pepe (28), Simon Adingra (22), and Christian Kouame (26).

Jean-Louis Gasset will expect Sebastien Haller (29), Karim Konate (19), Jonathan Bamba (27), and Jean-Philippe Krasso (26) to get the goals.

The last time Ivory Coast hosted the AFCON, they crashed out of the group stages without a win. This time, Ivory Coast head into the tournament ranked 49th in the world and eighth in Africa. The team is confident they can make history but it won’t be easy.

Egypt

Egypt are the record winners of the AFCON, winning the title seven times. The Pharaohs, as a result, head into every tournament as favourites.

Egyptians, though they’ve been spoilt with success, have seen their patience tested for a while. The last time Egypt won AFCON was 14 years ago and for a country with such high standards in football, this is unacceptable.

The North African side has been mighty close, losing the final in 2017 after taking the lead, and losing the 2021 final on penalties. Egypt will feel hard done by and believe they deserve a touch of luck this time, especially Mohamed Salah (31), who played in both finals.

The forward has been outstanding for this Egyptian side contributing to 60% (six goals, three assists) of their goals in the AFCON since his debut in 2017.

Under new coach Rui Vitoria, Salah is the highest scorer with nine goals in 985 minutes. Egypt have massively improved since the Portuguese coach took charge, scoring 33 goals in 14 games, and there is optimism that they can go one step further this time.

A motivated Salah is dangerous. But a motivated, in-form Salah, who already has 18 goals for Liverpool this season, is unstoppable. This could be the difference for Egypt.

Cameroon

Cameroon are two AFCON titles away from matching Egypt’s record tally. The Indomitable Lions are one of the kingpins in African football. They’re one of only three countries to retain the AFCON title, doing so in 2002.

In the 2021 edition, they finished third but likely won’t settle for that again as they seek to do better in this tournament. In attack, they still possess the two best strikers from the last edition of the AFCON.

Vincent Aboubakar’s (31) eight goals saw him end that tournament as top scorer, whereas Karl Toko Ekambi (31) was runner-up with five goals. Aboubakar was just one goal away from equalling Zaire’s Ndaye Mulamba’s record of nine goals at the 1974 tournament.

As usual, there is drama in the camp of the Indomitable Lions with the exclusion of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (34) and the late arrival of goalkeeper Andre Onana (27), who is set to miss the first game of the tournament having opted to play for Manchester United against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

However, the five-time winners are used to drama and won the 2017 AFCON with Hugo Broos in adverse conditions when about eight European players rejected their call-ups for the tournament.

Rigobert Song will look to be the beneficiary this time as he leads a decent Cameroon squad in the Ivory Coast. They’re in the group of death alongside defending champions Senegal, Guinea, and The Gambia, who were the surprise package from the 2021 AFCON.

With such great teams ready to make their mark in the Ivory Coast, we are set for a tournament of intrigue and maybe a few surprises - remember to follow it all with Flashscore, including the opening game right here.