The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations group stage ended on Wednesday night, January 24, setting up some highly anticipated knockout stage games.
The group stage produced several shocking results as the tournament created mouthwatering goals, and records.
Below are some of the shocking results that saw several African powerhouse nations crash out of the ongoing tournament.
Ghana
Ghana crashed out of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations due to their disastrous performance, the Black Stars bottled a two-goal lead in their final group stage game against Mozambique which saw them exit from the competition.
Algeria
Algeria is one of the teams expected to shine in the ongoing Africa's most prestigious tournament but reverse is the case for the 2019 African champions.
The North African nation finished bottom of Group D with just two points which saw them crash out of the AFCON tournament.
Tunisia
Tunisia also performed woefully in the 2023 AFCON, their last group-stage match landed them in hot water after they failed to win against South Africa which saw them eliminated with two points.
Below is the list of the teams that secured the round of 16 spot
Morocco
South Africa
Nigeria
Cameroon
Senegal
Ivory Coast
Egypt
DR Congo
Angola
Namibia
Equatorial Guinea
Guinea
Cape Verde
Mauritania
Mali
Burkina Faso
The pairings for the Round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) are now complete with eight games set to go down.
The host nation, Ivory Coast have squeezed themselves into the last-16 stage as a third-placed team despite an embarrassing defeat by Equatorial Guinea to round off Group A, while Nigeria booked their spot by beating Guinea-Bissau.
Cameroon also advanced to the knockout stage after their win against Gambia, Egypt are through despite securing a draw in all of their three matches.
Defending champions, Senegal topped their group without recording any loss or draw.
Morocco also joined the round of 16-ranked teams following a victory over Zambia.
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 will kick off at the Stade Bouake Stadium on Saturday, January 27.
Below are the interesting fixtures to look out for;
Angola v Namibia
Namibia made history by qualifying for the knockout stage of the 2023 AFCON for the first time in their history since their debut in 1998.
They will face Angola who topped a group involving Burkina Faso, and Mauritania with 7 points.
The game is scheduled to take place at Stade de la paix in Bouake on January 27 at 5 pm (GMT).
Nigeria v Cameroon
Despite a weak start, the two African powerhouses managed to book their place in the round of 16 after their final group stage games.
Obviously, one of the powerhouses will crash out in the round of 16.
The game is scheduled to be played on Saturday, January 27 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, at 8 pm (GMT).
Equatorial Guinea v Guinea
Equatorial Guinea shockingly managed to top a group involving host nation Ivory Coast and the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
Equatorial Guinea will have Guinea to deal with in the knockout stage. The game will be played at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on Sunday, January 28, at 5 pm (GMT).
Egypt vs D.R Congo
Egypt qualified after they drew all group games. It was obviously not a good result for the Pharaohs.
As the most successful country in the history of the tournament, their presence in the knockout stage will be a threat to any team they face and D.R. Congo is no exception.
The match will be played on January 28 at the Laurent Pokou Stadium, at 8 pm (GMT).
Cape Verde v Mauritania
After a shocking run in the group stage, which saw Cape Verde going unbeaten and leading a group involving two previous AFCON champions, Egypt and Ghana, the Blue Sharks will lock horns with Mauritania in the round of 16. The game will be played on Monday, January 29 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, at 5 pm (GMT)).
Senegal vs Ivory Coast
Following their disappointing 4-0 defeat on the final day, Ivory Coast managed to progress after Morocco defeated Zambia in their final group F game.
Therefore, the host nations have been handed a tough test against defending champions, Senegal.
Senegal, on the other hand, have a 100% record in the tournament and the fixture will be a tough one for the host.
The game will be played at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium on January, 29, at 8 pm (GMT).
Mali v Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso brought their group-stage games to a disappointing finish after losing 2-0 to Angola.
Mali went unbeaten in all their group-stage matches and will have the opportunity to play at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Kohorgo (the venue where they played most of their group games).
The game between Mali and Burkina Faso is scheduled to be played on January 29 at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, at 5 pm (GMT).
Morocco vs South Africa
The 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinalists are on track to win the 2023 AFCON. Meanwhile, on their way to achieving the feat, they will face South Africa in the Round of 16.
The South African attackers Percy Tau and Themba Zwane, will look to be a threat to the Moroccans, the game between the two countries will be played on January 30 at the Laurent Pokou Stadium, at 8 pm (GMT).
Quarter-final stages
The quarter-final will kick off on Friday, February 2, 2024, at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium when the winner between Angola and Namibia will face the winner between Nigeria and Cameroon, at 5 pm (GMT).
On Saturday, February 3, 2024, at the Bouake Stadium, the winner between Mali and Burkina Faso will lock horns with the winner between Senegal and Ivory Coast at 5 pm (GMT).
The second game will go down at the Yamoussoukro Stadium, where the winner between Cape Verde and Mauritania will face either Morocco or South Africa.
Semi-finals
The semi-finals are scheduled to be played on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at Bouake Stadium, a fixture that will feature winner 1, (Angola, Namibia, Nigeria, or Cameroon), against winner 4, (Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Egypt, or D.R. Congo), at 5 pm (GMT).
The second game will be played at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium between winner 3, (Cape Verde, Mauritania, Senegal, or Ivory Coast), vs winner 2, (Mali, Burkina Faso, Morocco, or South Africa), at 8 pm (GMT).
Third place
The third place will be played at Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium on Saturday, February 10, 2024, between the losers from the semi-final contest, at 8 pm (GMT).
Final
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final match will be played on Sunday, February 11, 2024, where the winners of the semi-final clash will lock horns against each other at Alassane Ouattara Stadium, at 8 pm (GMT).
The group stage produced several shocking results as the tournament created mouthwatering goals, and records.
Below are some of the shocking results that saw several African powerhouse nations crash out of the ongoing tournament.
Ghana
Ghana crashed out of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations due to their disastrous performance, the Black Stars bottled a two-goal lead in their final group stage game against Mozambique which saw them exit from the competition.
Algeria
Algeria is one of the teams expected to shine in the ongoing Africa's most prestigious tournament but reverse is the case for the 2019 African champions.
The North African nation finished bottom of Group D with just two points which saw them crash out of the AFCON tournament.
Tunisia
Tunisia also performed woefully in the 2023 AFCON, their last group-stage match landed them in hot water after they failed to win against South Africa which saw them eliminated with two points.
Below is the list of the teams that secured the round of 16 spot
Morocco
South Africa
Nigeria
Cameroon
Senegal
Ivory Coast
Egypt
DR Congo
Angola
Namibia
Equatorial Guinea
Guinea
Cape Verde
Mauritania
Mali
Burkina Faso
The pairings for the Round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) are now complete with eight games set to go down.
The host nation, Ivory Coast have squeezed themselves into the last-16 stage as a third-placed team despite an embarrassing defeat by Equatorial Guinea to round off Group A, while Nigeria booked their spot by beating Guinea-Bissau.
Cameroon also advanced to the knockout stage after their win against Gambia, Egypt are through despite securing a draw in all of their three matches.
Defending champions, Senegal topped their group without recording any loss or draw.
Morocco also joined the round of 16-ranked teams following a victory over Zambia.
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 will kick off at the Stade Bouake Stadium on Saturday, January 27.
Below are the interesting fixtures to look out for;
Angola v Namibia
Namibia made history by qualifying for the knockout stage of the 2023 AFCON for the first time in their history since their debut in 1998.
They will face Angola who topped a group involving Burkina Faso, and Mauritania with 7 points.
The game is scheduled to take place at Stade de la paix in Bouake on January 27 at 5 pm (GMT).
Nigeria v Cameroon
Despite a weak start, the two African powerhouses managed to book their place in the round of 16 after their final group stage games.
Obviously, one of the powerhouses will crash out in the round of 16.
The game is scheduled to be played on Saturday, January 27 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, at 8 pm (GMT).
Equatorial Guinea v Guinea
Equatorial Guinea shockingly managed to top a group involving host nation Ivory Coast and the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
Equatorial Guinea will have Guinea to deal with in the knockout stage. The game will be played at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on Sunday, January 28, at 5 pm (GMT).
Egypt vs D.R Congo
Egypt qualified after they drew all group games. It was obviously not a good result for the Pharaohs.
As the most successful country in the history of the tournament, their presence in the knockout stage will be a threat to any team they face and D.R. Congo is no exception.
The match will be played on January 28 at the Laurent Pokou Stadium, at 8 pm (GMT).
Cape Verde v Mauritania
After a shocking run in the group stage, which saw Cape Verde going unbeaten and leading a group involving two previous AFCON champions, Egypt and Ghana, the Blue Sharks will lock horns with Mauritania in the round of 16. The game will be played on Monday, January 29 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, at 5 pm (GMT)).
Senegal vs Ivory Coast
Following their disappointing 4-0 defeat on the final day, Ivory Coast managed to progress after Morocco defeated Zambia in their final group F game.
Therefore, the host nations have been handed a tough test against defending champions, Senegal.
Senegal, on the other hand, have a 100% record in the tournament and the fixture will be a tough one for the host.
The game will be played at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium on January, 29, at 8 pm (GMT).
Mali v Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso brought their group-stage games to a disappointing finish after losing 2-0 to Angola.
Mali went unbeaten in all their group-stage matches and will have the opportunity to play at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Kohorgo (the venue where they played most of their group games).
The game between Mali and Burkina Faso is scheduled to be played on January 29 at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, at 5 pm (GMT).
Morocco vs South Africa
The 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinalists are on track to win the 2023 AFCON. Meanwhile, on their way to achieving the feat, they will face South Africa in the Round of 16.
The South African attackers Percy Tau and Themba Zwane, will look to be a threat to the Moroccans, the game between the two countries will be played on January 30 at the Laurent Pokou Stadium, at 8 pm (GMT).
Quarter-final stages
The quarter-final will kick off on Friday, February 2, 2024, at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium when the winner between Angola and Namibia will face the winner between Nigeria and Cameroon, at 5 pm (GMT).
On Saturday, February 3, 2024, at the Bouake Stadium, the winner between Mali and Burkina Faso will lock horns with the winner between Senegal and Ivory Coast at 5 pm (GMT).
The second game will go down at the Yamoussoukro Stadium, where the winner between Cape Verde and Mauritania will face either Morocco or South Africa.
Semi-finals
The semi-finals are scheduled to be played on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at Bouake Stadium, a fixture that will feature winner 1, (Angola, Namibia, Nigeria, or Cameroon), against winner 4, (Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Egypt, or D.R. Congo), at 5 pm (GMT).
The second game will be played at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium between winner 3, (Cape Verde, Mauritania, Senegal, or Ivory Coast), vs winner 2, (Mali, Burkina Faso, Morocco, or South Africa), at 8 pm (GMT).
Third place
The third place will be played at Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium on Saturday, February 10, 2024, between the losers from the semi-final contest, at 8 pm (GMT).
Final
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final match will be played on Sunday, February 11, 2024, where the winners of the semi-final clash will lock horns against each other at Alassane Ouattara Stadium, at 8 pm (GMT).