Ivory Coast will begin their hunt for continental supremacy on Saturday night.
Africa Cup of Nations
Hosts of the biennial Africa Cup of Nations, Ivory Coast will take on Guinea-Bissau at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, kicking off the 64th edition of Africa’s most prestigious tournament.
It’s been nine years since The Elephants last lifted the AFCON crown. That team included names such as Kolo and Yaya Toure, Gervinho and Wilfred Bony, but a new generation of stars from the West African nation will be hoping to bring victory on home turf.
They of course will have plenty of competition. AFCON is always a wide open tournament, no team has won two on the bounce since Egypt’s treble of wins in 2006, 2008 and 2010. And, with the increasing influx of European players declaring for nations of their African ancestry, there has been strengthened squads across the board.
The Pharaohs, led by Mohamed Salah, will be up there again and expectations will also be high for World Cup semi-finalists, Morocco. Their north African counterparts, Tunisia and Algeria are in the running, as well as the traditional big names such as Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and, Sadio Mane’s defending champions, Senegal.
But, who will lift the coveted trophy on 11th February?
Africa Cup of Nations Predictions
At 11/2 (Sky Bet) Morocco are the bookmakers' favourites, and for good reason too. Walid Regragui was the first man to lead an African nation to the last four of a World Cup finals. Given that achievement was made as recently as 2022, he has many of the same faces to rely upon.
The Moroccan side is stacked with stars; Bonou in net, Hakimi, Mazraoui, Aguerd in defence, Amrabat, Ounahi, Harit, En-Nesyri, Ziyech, Boufal to boot - it’s a nucleus of a squad that has the potential, and togetherness, to go all the way. They’ve only won AFCON once, back in 1976, and hopes will be sky-high that The Atlas Lions can bring it home.
Next-door neighbours Algeria also host their fair share of big names. Led by captain Riyad Mahrez, the Fennec Foxes have won the tournament as recently as 2019, but with an ageing squad the hope will be that experience can rise to the top.
Second behind Morocco for the crown are current holders, Senegal, who are ranked at 6/1 (BetMGM). The Lions of Teranga are one of only two African nations ranked in the top 20 globally, sitting in 20th place, with AFCON rivals Morocco in 13th spot.
Manager Aliou Cisse took the team to the quarters in 2017, they finished as runners-up to Algeria in 2019, before finally tasting victory in 2021 - their first ever AFCON win.
Their squad is littered with players plying their trade in some of Europe’s top leagues. In fact, Senegal have not named a single member of the squad who plays for an African club. Overall it’s a blended squad of experience in the shape of Kalidou Koulibaly, Idrissa Gueye and Sadio Mane, and new kids on the block in Iliman Ndiaye, Nicolas Jackson and Lamine Camara. Could they hold onto their crown?
At 7/1 (Bet365) hosts, Ivory Coast round off the top four favourites for the tournament. Captained by Serge Aurier, who was a part of the 2015 winning squad, there are several well-known faces who have the capability of bringing the trophy back to West Africa.
Sebastain Haller will likely lead the line, while Franck Kessie will no doubt hold the fort in midfield. It’s another experienced squad, and makes calling the winner of this competition ever more difficult. But, home turf will surely count for something?
The best of the rest features strong Nigerian (10/1) and Ghana (14/1) sides, plus the star power of Mo Salah and his Egypt side (9/1) vying for a first win since 2010.
There’s also the experienced line up of Rigobert Song’s 2017 victors, Cameroon. Oh, and AFCON often likes to throw out a surprise package too…
Plenty of narratives on offer here then, but who will go all the way?
Africa Cup of Nations Odds
| Team | Best Odds | Worst Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 11/2 | 9/2 |
| Senegal | 6/1 | 11/2 |
| Ivory Coast | 7/1 | 5/1 |
| Algeria | 15/2 | 6/1 |
| Egypt | 9/1 | 8/1 |
Africa Cup of Nations Betting Tips
Ivory Coast AFCON Winners @ 7/1 bet365
In such a nip-and-tuck tournament, small margins can decide the fate of those competing. Having a home crowd is one of those small margins that will only benefit one side: Ivory Coast. What’s even better is that 7/1 presents brilliant odds for a tournament favourite.
Victor Osimhen Tournament Top Scorer @ 9/1 Sporting Index
The Napoli striker is a wanted man, the 25-year-old has scored 20 in 28 games for his nation and is priced very nicely at 9/1 to be the top scorer at the tournament.
Of course, you have a plethora of other options here, including Salah, Youssef En Nesyri, and Sadio Mane. That’s without mentioning Mahrez, Haller, Aboubakar and Kudus.
Egypt/Mo Salah (Winner & Top Scorer) @ 20/1 BetVictor
Another option, should you not fancy the Osimhen tip is to look at the King of the Pharaohs. Salah has once again been imperious in the Premier League, and his nation is screaming out for an AFCON victory after 14 years of hurt.
He made his international debut a year after their last AFCON triumph. After leading them to 2nd place in 2017 and 2021, is it finally Salah’s time? At 20/1 it is well worth a flutter.
