CONTENDERS AND PRETENDERS FOR THE CAF ANC 2023

 

The stage is set for the commencement of the ANC 2023 in Cote d’Ivoire. Twenty-four of Africa's best national football teams, including the defending champions, the Taranga Lions of Senegal, and all the teams that represented Africa in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, would be competing for this title. Matches would be played in six stadia and five towns, in Cote d’Ivoire.

 

List of Qualifiers:

Group A – Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau.

Group B – Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, and Mozambique.

Group C – Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, and the Gambia.

Group D – Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Angola.

Group E – Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, and Namibia.

Group F – Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, and Tanzania

 

THE GATHERING OF AFRICAN FOOTBALL STARS

This competition draws African footballers playing for clubs in different parts of the world and the quest for getting the best players has made several Nations very meticulous in their player selection. African Players from the European leagues form the greatest bulk of footballers participating in this competition. With the current form of these teams, especially judging from the heroics of Morocco at the Qatar World Cup, every team would expect their best players to take them to stardom. The Moroccans would likely try to prove that their performance at the last FIFA World Cup was not a fluke. Egypt, who narrowly lost out to Senegal for the World Cup ticket, would expect the brilliance of Mohamed Salah to wipe away the pains of their painful loss to Senegal at the final of the last tournament in Cameroon, whilst Senegal would hope that their mercurial stars, Saido Mane, Koulibaly and others would help them retain the title. The Nigerian national team led by current African best footballer, Victor Osimhen would hope that he'd be able to inspire his colleagues to help Nigeria restore her pride in the current ANC.

 

 

PERMUTATIONS

Such permutations remain the basis of people's expectations in determining how the winner of this competition would emerge. The quality of players, their current form, team cohesion, and their past records are important factors. Just like the contenders, several underdogs abound who have not done much on the African and world stage to speculate their capacity to win the CAF ANC2023. Unlike in the past, the margins between teams are hugely thin and upsets would come in the same way as major contenders would meet bookmakers’ predictions.

On paper, teams such as Senegal, Egypt, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon, Algeria, and Ghana appear the main contenders but hypothetical predictions sometimes fail, as they did during the last competition.  Then title holders, Algeria, exited at the group stage, just like Nigeria (2nd round). Within three days to the start-off of the competition, Nigeria had lost three very important players, whilst Cameroon wouldn't be having the services of their popular goalkeeper, Andre Onana. These are outcomes of the competition being held during the tick of the ongoing leagues across most continents. The best team would emerge from whosoever can perfectly manage their results with their best available resources.