For the second time, Ivory Coast is the host of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), commencing the tournament with a match against Guinea-Bissau on Saturday at 9 p.m.
Here are twelve things to know about the competition.
1. The 2024 competition will feature 52 matches spanning 30 days
2. Matches will be held at six stadiums across five cities.
3. The capital, Abidjan, offers two venues – the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium and the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, which will also host the final, Yamoussoukro, Bouake, Korhogo and San Pedro will host the remaining fixtures.
4. There are six groups made up of four teams each.
5. The top two teams in each group and the four best-ranked third-placed teams will advance to the last 16.
6. The winners of the latest edition in Ivory Coast will receive 5.5 million pounds ($7m).
7. The runners-up will get 3.165 million pounds ($4m), with each of the two semifinalists receiving 1.979 million pounds ($2.5m) and the four quarterfinalists taking 1.029 million pounds ($1.3m) each.
8. The matches will be shown on Supersport, NTA among others
9. Nigerian Musician, Yemi Alade will be part of the entertainers for the opening event in the AFCON 2023
10. VAR will be used in all 52 matches, with 12 officials selected to monitor matches. There will also be 26 referees and 30 assistant referees at the tournament.
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11. In the knockout phase, drawn matches will go to extra time, then a penalty shootout if necessary to determine winners.
12. Senegal are favorites to win according to Opta AI.
