The matches in the six group stages of the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) wrapped up on Wednesday, with teams believed to be underdogs crashing out of the tournament and the least expected to advance to the Round of 16.
The host nation, Cote d’Ivoire, completed the fourth third-place spot after Morocco beat Zambia 1-0 to maintain the Group F lead with seven points.
Only one of the Northern African teams was able to make it, with former AFCON Champion Algeria scooping just two points in the tournament. Tunisia also couldn’t get past the three teams in its group, leading to its coach parting ways with the Carthage Eagles.
Namibia and Mauritania are the most shocking teams that advanced to the last 16 stages.
Below are the last-16 pairings in the tournament, including their venue.
Saturday
In Bouake – Angola vs Namibia (6:00pm)
In Abidjan – Nigeria vs. Cameroon (9:00pm)
Sunday
In Abidjan – Equatorial Guinea vs. Guinea (6:00pm)
In San Pedro – Egypt vs. Democratic Republic of Congo (8:00pm)
Monday
In Abidjan – Cape Verde vs. Mauritania (6:00pm)
In Yamoussoukro – Senegal vs. Ivory Coast (8:00pm)
Tuesday
In Korhogo – Mali vs. Burkina Faso (6:00pm)
In San Pedro – Morocco vs. South Africa (8:00pm)
AFCON 2023 format and rules
There are 24 teams competing in this iteration of the Africa Cup of Nations, split into six groups of four.
With the knockout stages starting with a Round of 16 — and being one-off straight knockout ties — that means that, as well as the top two from each group, four of the best third-placed teams in the groups will also get a knockout spot.
In the event that two teams are locked on the same points, their placing will be determined on:
- Points in the head-to-head match between the two tied teams
- Goal difference in the group
- Goals scored overall in the group
- Drawing of lots.
In the knockout stages, games will go to 30 minutes of extra time and then penalties if the teams cannot be separated. There will also be a third-place playoff between the two losing semifinalists to determine who gets the bronze medal.
