All you need to know about AFCON 2023; full schedule, kick-off times

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) commences on Saturday, January 13, 2023, with Cote d'Ivoire hosting the finals for the second time.

The Journey:

Dates: January 13 - February 11, 2024
Duration: 29 days
Final: Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan
Matches: 52

The Teams: 

24 nations battling for continental glory

6 groups of 4 teams each

Group A: Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau
Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique
Group C: Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, The Gambia
Group D: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola
Group E: Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia
Group F: Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania

The Road to Victory:

Top two teams from each group advance

Four best-ranked third-placed teams join the knockout stage

Second round: Group winners vs. third-placed teams

Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, Final: Winner-takes-all

The Stage:

Five host cities: Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, Bouake, Korhogo, San Pedro

Six stadiums: Alassane Ouattara (60,000), Felix Houphouet-Boigny (33,000), Charles Konan Banny (20,000), Stade de la Paix (40,000), Amadou Gon Coulibaly (20,000), Laurent Pokou (20,000)

Catch the Action:

All matches LIVE on StarTimes in Africa

Free-to-air broadcast in Ghana by Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and its subsidiaries

Fixtures and schedule...

Group stage
Saturday January 13

Group A: Cote d'Ivoire vs Guinea-Bissau - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (8pm)

Sunday January 14

Group A: Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (2pm)

Group B: Egypt vs Mozambique - Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (5pm)

Group B: Ghana vs Cape Verde - Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (8pm)

Monday January 15

Group C: Senegal vs The Gambia - Charles Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro (2pm)

Group C: Cameroon vs Guinea - Yamoussoukro (5pm)

Group D: Algeria vs Angola - Stade de la Paix, Bouake (8pm)

Tuesday January 16

Group D: Burkina Faso vs Mauritania - Bouake (2pm)

Group E: Tunisia vs Namibia - Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo (5pm)

Group E: Mali vs South Africa - Korhogo (8pm)

Wednesday January 17

Group F: Morocco vs Tanzania - Laurent Pokou Stadium, San Pedro (5pm)

Group F: DR Congo vs Zambia - San Pedro (8pm)

Thursday January 18

Group A: Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea-Bissau - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (2pm)

Group A: Cote d'Ivoire vs Nigeria - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (5pm)

Group B: Egypt vs Ghana - Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (8pm)

Friday January 19

Group B: Cape Verde vs Mozambique - Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (2pm)

Group C: Senegal vs Cameroon - Yamoussoukro (5pm)

Group C: Guinea vs The Gambia - Yamoussoukro (8pm)

Saturday January 20

Group D: Algeria vs Burkina Faso - Bouake (2pm)

Group D: Mauritania vs Angola - Bouake (5pm)

Group E: Tunisia vs Mali - Korhogo (8pm)

Sunday January 21

Group F: Morocco vs DR Congo - San Pedro (2pm)

Group F: Zambia vs Tanzania - San Pedro (5pm)

Group E: South Africa vs Namibia - Korhogo (8pm)

Monday January 22

Group A: Equatorial Guinea vs Cote d'Ivoire - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (5pm)

Group A: Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria - Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (5pm)

Group B: Cape Verde vs Egypt - Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (8pm)

Group B: Mozambique vs Ghana - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (8pm)

Tuesday January 23

Group C: The Gambia vs Cameroon - Bouake (5pm)

Group C: Guinea vs Senegal - Yamoussoukro (5pm)

Group D: Angola vs Burkina Faso - Yamoussoukro (8pm)

Group D: Mauritania vs Algeria - Bouake (8pm)

Wednesday January 24

Group E: Namibia vs Mali - San Pedro (5pm)

Group E: South Africa vs Tunisia - Korhogo (5pm)

Group F: Tanzania vs DR Congo - Korhogo (8pm)

Group F: Zambia vs Morocco - San Pedro (8pm)

Second round

Saturday January 27

SR1: Group D Winner vs 3rd Place Group B/E/F - Bouake (5pm)

SR2: Group A Second Place vs Group C Second Place - Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (8pm)

Sunday January 28

SR3: Group A Winner vs 3rd Place Group C/D/E - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (5pm)

SR4: Group B Second Place vs Group F Second Place -San Pedro (8pm)

Monday January 29

SR5: Group B Winner vs 3rd Place Group A/C/D -Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (5pm)

SR6: Group C Winner vs 3rd Place Group A/B/F - Yamoussoukro (8pm)

Tuesday January 30

SR7: Group E Winner vs Group D Second Place - Korhogo (5pm)

SR8: Group F Winner vs Group E Second Place - San Pedro (8pm)

Quarter-finals

Friday February 2

QF1: Winner SR2 vs Winner RS1 - Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (5pm)

QF2: Winner SR4 vs Winner SR3 - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (8pm)

Saturday February 3

QF3: Winner SR7 vs Winner RS6 - Bouake (5pm)

QF4: Winner SR5 vs Winner SR8 - Yamoussoukro (8pm)

Semi-finals

Wednesday February 7

SF1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF4 - Bouake (5pm)

SF2: Winner QF3 vs Winner QF2 - Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (8pm)

Third place play-off

Saturday February 10

Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan (8pm)

Final

Sunday February 11

Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan (8pm)

Where to watch on television

For fans who will be hoping to watch the games on television, all 52 matches will be broadcast live on StarTimes in Africa.

In Ghana, AFCON 2023 will be broadcast free-to-air by state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and its subsidiaries including GTV and GTV Sports Plus.