The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is set to kick off this Saturday in Côte d'Ivoire and will feature some of the continent's top players in action. The five teams participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, including Morocco, Egypt and Cameroon, are seen as strong contenders. Defending champions Senegal will be looking to defend their title and follow Egypt and seven other successful AFCON trophy defending nations.
The article also reviews the history of the host country's success in winning the championship. Ethiopia became the first country to achieve this feat in 1962, followed by Ghana in 1963 and Sudan in 1970. Ghana became the first nation to win the title twice as host in 1978, and Nigeria continued the trend in 1980.
Egypt and Algeria won the home championship in 1986 and 1990 respectively. South Africa emerged victorious in 1996, but since then, no host nation has won the tournament. The Sports Brief also highlighted Senegal's chances of defending the AFCON title. The OPTA supercomputer estimates their odds of winning at 128%, which is in line with the ** of experts and former players who believe that Teraga Lions is a strong contender for the title. Overall, AFCON 2023 will be an exciting competition with both strong teams and emerging contenders, and Ivory Coast will be looking to make history as the host and win country.