The Draw Ceremony
for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations finals will take place at
the Mohamed V National Theatre in Rabat, Casablanca on Monday evening.
Three-time African
champions Nigeria have been placed in Pot 1, alongside seven-time winners
Egypt, three-time champions and Cup holders Cote d’Ivoire, two-time winners
Algeria, hosts and 1976 champions Morocco and 2021 winners Senegal.
Super Eagles’ Head
Coach Éric Sékou Chelle and Team Administrator, Dayo Enebi
Achor, alongside the Chairman of NFF Technical and Development Committee,
Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa will attend the colourful ceremony in the heart of
Morocco’s administrative capital.
The final tournament that begins on 21st December
and ends on 18th January is unique in some ways, including
being the first ever to start in a particular year and run into another year.
Morocco will play host to Africa again since hosting the 1988 tournament that
was won by Cameroon. The North African country was handed the hosting right for
the 2015 finals, but ducked at the eleventh hour in the midst of the ebola scare
across some nations in the continent.
Since then, the country has hosted a plethora of
football championships, including the African Nations Championship in 2018
(which she won), the Women Africa Cup of Nations in 2022 (in which she finished
as runner-up) and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2023. Morocco will also co-host
the 2030 FIFA World Cup finals alongside neighbours Spain and Portugal.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles hold the record for the most
medals from the 68-year-old championship: 16 in 20 previous participations.
They are three-time winners (1980, 1994, 2013),
finished as runners-up on five occasions (1984, 1988, 1990, 2000 and 2023), and
took the bronze eight times (1976, 1978, 1992, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010 and
2019). The Eagles lost out in the quarter-finals in 2008 and were eliminated in
the second round in 2021. Only in their debut in 1963, and as Cup holders in
1982, have the Eagles failed to proceed beyond the tournament group phase.
While Nigeria will be taking part in her 21st tournament
(same as DR Congo and Algeria), Botswana and Comoros will be taking part in
only their second respective championships. Egypt will be appearing in their 27th tournament;
Cote d’Ivoire 26th and; Cameroon and Tunisia 22nd.
Hosts Morocco are appearing in their 20th finals and 2012
champions Zambia in their 19th. 2021 winners Senegal are appearing
in their 18th final tournament.
Nigeria have also played a total of 104 matches at the
final tournament, 4th overall behind Egypt (111), Cote d’Ivoire
(106) and Ghana (105).
While Cameroonian Rigobert Song (who coached the
Indomitable Lions at the last finals in Cote d’Ivoire), Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan,
Ghanaian Andrew Ayew and Tunisian Youssef Msakni have played in eight
tournaments each, Ayew and Song have played the most matches – 36 each.
Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o (currently President
of FECAFOOT) has scored the most goals in the final tournament – 18 in the 29
matches he played across eight tournaments.
Nigeria’s Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) scored 13
goals across four final tournaments between 1988 and 1994.
Pot 1: Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire
Pot 2: Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, South Africa, DR Congo, Burkina Faso
Pot 3: Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Benin Republic
Pot 4: Mozambique, Comoros, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Botswana
PHOTO: Nigeria’s captain William Ekong
heads in the Super Eagles’ goal in the 2023 Final in Abidjan. Hosts CIV came
from behind to win 2-1.
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