AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023: African champs Senegal up against Cameroon; Hosts face Nigeria

* Ironically, Senegal meet Cameroon in a friendly in France on Monday as part of their build-up to defend the trophy

* Record winners Egypt will be hunting for a record-extending eighth continental crown

* Renew hostilities with Ghana in Group B in a repeat of the 2010 final which the Pharaohs won late

CAFonline

Defending champions Senegal have been pitted against Cameroon for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Cote d’Ivoire 2023 while the hosts are up against regional rivals Nigeria at the group stage of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations following Thursday’s draw in Abidjan that has set up some tantalising matches.

Senegal, who clinched their first ever AFCON title in Cameroon, were drawn in Group C against Cameroon, Guinea and AFCON debutants Gambia in what looks a competitive pool.

Ironically, Senegal meet Cameroon in a friendly in France on Monday as part of their build-up to defend the trophy on Ivorian soil.

There will be a West African affair in Group A as hosts Cote d’Ivoire were paired with regional rivals Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.

Record winners Egypt, hunting a record-extending eighth continental crown, renew hostilities with Ghana in Group B in a repeat of the 2010 final which the Pharaohs won late. Cape Verde and Mozambique complete the group.

Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Angola add further star quality to Group D in another exciting pool while World Cup semi-finalists Morocco should navigate a comfortable Group F containing DR Congo, Zambia and Tanzania.

The 16-team group stage was plotted in Abidjan in a captivating ceremony with current and former football superstars, Didier Drogba, Mikel Obi, Sadio Mane and Achraf Hakimi, supporting as draw assistants as Cote d’Ivoire is prepared at hosting the continent’s showpiece event from January 13 to February 11, 2024.

African football legend, Didier Drogba described his nation’s tough group as an “exciting challenge” after they were drawn alongside regional heavyweights Nigeria.

Drogba, Côte d’Ivoire’s all-time leading scorer, said playing the Super Eagles promises to be a thrilling early test for the tournament hosts: “It is a very difficult group. Nigeria is of course one of the favourites and to have them in our group, it is going to be an exciting challenge.

“But we are up for it. This is the beauty of a competition like AFCON, so we are ready to take on the challenge and let the best teams of this group and all the groups qualify.”

Côte d’Ivoire, champions in 1992 and 2015, possess a squad laden with elite talent including top stars Wilfried Zaha and Eric Bailly but they cannot afford to underestimate Nigeria, whose rich array of attacking options like Victor Osimhen and Alex Iwobi make them serious contenders.

Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau have proven they can spring surprises at AFCON, meaning complacency will be punished in what promises to be a hotly-contested group.

For Drogba, the tension and excitement of such heavyweight clashes on home soil will inspire the Elephants to rise to the occasion when the tournament gets underway in under 100 days.

Côte d’Ivoire coach Jean-Louis Gasset said: “We’ve made up our minds now. We know what we’re going to work on. Facing a team like Nigeria and their attacking prowess motivates us because we’re not looking for the easy way out. We’ll be supported by an entire nation, which is an incredible asset.”

Senegal’s forward Sadio Mane contends that the defending champions face a stern test against Cameroon: “It’s a really difficult group — Cameroon are going to be really tough but we will give our best to go through from the first round.”

Mane led Senegal to their first-ever AFCON title in Cameroon last year, triumphing on penalties against Egypt and will attempt to defend their crown at the 24-team finals.

Speaking to CAFOnline Cameroonian legend, Geremi Njitap cautioned against focusing all their energies on the fixture against the reigning champions, saying: “I wouldn’t really call it the group of death because when you look at all the groups, they are all tough but, of course, people will be looking at Senegal and Cameroon.

“As a former player with lots of experience, when you go to this kind of competition, the key is the first match,” said the former midfielder. “For us Cameroon, our first match is against Gambia so the manager should be working on that, then we move on to the next match.

“This is something I am saying on experience. So Rigobert Song should start working on the game against Gambia,” said Njitap.

A lot will be expected of the former champions who always go into the competition as one of the sides to look out for. The Indomitable Lions have been crowned African champions a record five times, with their last gold achievement being in 2017 in Gabon. 

President of Senegal FA Augustin Senghor says they inherited a tough group, but it’s in adversity that they rise to the occasion and achieve great things.

“We’re going to face two neighbours, Gambia and Guinea,” he told CAFonline. “These two have a lot to offer. Senegal-Cameroon duels have always been intense matches and we’re getting ready to face them in a few days’ time. This friendly that we will be playing with them soon now takes on a whole new dimension with this draw”.

Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet said though they are in a toughest group of the competition with the African champions, his players will be more motivated to perform: “We also have Cameroon, who eliminated us at the last Africa Cup of Nations. It’s going to be a great opportunity for revenge.

Morocco star Achraf Hakimi said his side will try their best to win the title as the the FIFA World Cup semi-finalists are up against DR Congo, Tanzania and Zambia in Group F, representing a smoother path to the knock-out phase.

Hakimi, part of the Atlas Lions squad that made history in Qatar, is targeting triumph when Morocco chase just their second AFCON title, saying: “We have a good team, a good group and we will do our best to win.

The Paris St-Germain (PSG) full-back was in the squad in Qatar that  stunned Belgium, Spain and Portugal en route to becoming the first-ever African nation to reach a FIFA World Cup semi-final last December.

Although Group F appears navigable, Hakimi knows continental heavyweights like Senegal and Egypt represent major hurdles if Morocco are to be crowned champions.

Morocco will arrive with lofty ambitions after their remarkable World Cup heroics, intent on translating their historic run into a landmark triumph.

Dodo Landu, DRC team manager said their biggest challenge are Morocco, saying: “We met them in the play-off of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers to Qatar. We mustn’t repeat the mistakes we made in the second leg of that clash.

“Everyone’s eyes are on Morocco, but this group also has Zambia and Tanzania. They’re always tough to play against. It’s up to us to prepare well. We’ll be in Abidjan, a city that brings good luck to the Leopards, as we won our first CHAN here in this city.”

Guinea coach Kaba Diawara said: “We are in the group of death as they say. We really respect everyone and I hope it goes well. Either way, we really have our chances.

“We will have to be strong from the first match. We know we have our say. Maybe it’s not a gift for others to have us in the group. We really have a good chance of qualifying.