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It was rescheduled from January 13 to February 11, 2024.
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The tournament which originally began with just three teams back in 1957 now boasts a mammoth 24 sides doing battle in its 34th edition.
Image: FILE
The greatest football tournament in Africa is here, and all eyes will be on Ivory Coast where the tournament is being held.
Africa's best teams converge in the West African country for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy.
Despite being held in 2024, the competition is known as AFCON 2023.
The tournament was originally scheduled to be played during Summer but the Confederation of African Football postponed it due to weather concerns in the host nation.
It was rescheduled from January 13 to February 11, 2024.
The tournament which originally began with just three teams back in 1957 now boasts a mammoth 24 sides doing battle in its 34th edition.
Participating countries are Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Mali.
Others are Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia.
There will be six groups of four teams each playing each other. The knockout stage will feature the winners and runners-up in each group and the best four third-placed teams.
The final will take place at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in the Ivory Coast's largest city, Abidjan.
Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah is likely to captain the most successful side in the history of the tournament, Egypt, who have prevailed seven times but are currently on a run of six successive unsuccessful attempts at claiming the trophy.
Saudi-based Sadio Mane will lead Senegal’s defence of the Africa Cup of Nations crown.
Mane, who plays for Saudi Arabia's Al-Nasr, provided a pivotal role in Senegal's triumph in AFCON 2021, scoring the winning penalty for in their shootout win 4-2 against Egypt after a scoreless draw.
Mane was named Player of the AFCON 2021, while his teammate Edouard Mendy won the Best Keeper Award.
“We understand that it won't be an easy task, but we will be there to give our best and strive to advance through each round," Mane said on the CAF website.
SuperSport, Africa’s leading sports broadcaster, has clinched the exclusive broadcast rights for all 52 matches.
The hosts start the tournament on Saturday with a match against Guinea-Bissau.
CAF announced a 40 per cent increase in the prize money for the winner.
The winner of the tournament will pocket USD 7,000,000 (Sh1.1 billion) even as Senegal is tipped for a successful title defence.
The runner-up will now get USD 4 000 000 (Sh632.8 million)
Each of the two semi-finalists will receive USD 2 500 000 (Sh396 million) and each of the four quarter-finalists will take home USD 1 300 000 (Sh206 million).
Kenya has qualified for AFCON six times, but not since 2019 when they were held in Egypt. They have never advanced beyond the group stages.