AFCON 2023 Qualifiers: Schedule, fixtures & teams

The AFCON 2023 Qualifiers are approaching quickly. The Africa Cup of Nations, or AFCON 2023, will be held in Ivory Coast for the 34th time. The tournament will be organized for the second time by the host country.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup officially begins on July 20 in Auckland.

A total of 48 national teams, comprised of 42 direct entries and six preliminary round winners, were divided into twelve groups of four teams, ranging from Group A to Group L. Previously, the 48 national teams were seeded into four pots of twelve based on the FIFA World Rankings, which were released on March 31, 2022.

Ivory Coast, the hosts of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, will compete in the qualifiers, but because they have a guaranteed spot in the finals, only the highest-ranked team in their group will qualify. The qualifications of the other teams will be determined by their matches and results against Ivory Coast.

After two matchdays, it’s time to turn our attention to matchday three.

To avoid scheduling conflicts with European club teams and competitions, the tournament was originally scheduled to be held in the northern hemisphere summer for the third time since the 2019 edition. However, on 3 July 2022, CAF announced the event’s postponement to January and February 2024 due to weather concerns in the host nation during the summer.

Due to FIFA suspensions for “political interference” in football administration, Kenya and Zimbabwe have been disqualified from the qualifying race for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. CAF had included them in the official draw on the condition that their suspensions be lifted two weeks before their first matchday, but this did not occur, and the two teams will not be able to compete in the 2023 AFCON. Despite their disqualification, CAF stated that Groups C and K, which included Kenya and Zimbabwe, will still produce two qualified teams.

The qualification for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations will take place from 23rd March 2022 to September 2023.

Qualification Schedule

AFCON 2023 qualifiers Matchday 3 schedule

22^nd March 2023

Benin vs Rwanda

Sierra Leone vs Sao Tome and Principe

23^rd March 2023

Madagascar vs Central African Republic

Congo vs South Sudan

Zambia vs Lesotho

Ghana vs Angola

24^th March 2023

Gabon vs Sudan

Algeria vs Niger

DR Congo vs Mauritania

Uganda vs Tanzania

Ivory Coast vs Comoros

Cape Verde vs Eswatini

Nigeria vs Guinea-Bissau

South Africa vs Liberia

25^th March 2023

Mali vs Gambia

Equatorial Guinea vs Botswana

Senegal vs Mozambique

Egypt vs Malawi

Burkina Faso vs Togo

Tunisia vs Libya

Cameroon vs Namibia

Guinea vs Ethiopia

AFCON 2023 qualifiers Matchday 4 Schedule

26^th March 2023

Lesotho vs Zambia

Sao Tome and Principe vs Sierra Leone

27^th March 2023

Rwanda vs Benin

South Sudan vs Congo

Central African Republic vs Madagascar

Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria

Angola vs Ghana

Niger vs Algeria

28^th March 2023

Sudan vs Gabon

Ethiopia vs Guinea

Eswatini vs Cape Verde

Malawi vs Egypt

Botswana vs Equatorial Guinea

Namibia vs Cameroon

Liberia vs South Africa

Tanzania vs Uganda

Mozambique vs Senegal

Gambia vs Mali

Comoros vs Ivory Coast

Togo vs Burkina Faso

Libya vs Tunisia

Mauritania vs DR Congo