Which European league has most players called up for AFCON 2023?

The Ivory Coast edition of AFCON has had immense call-ups from one particular ligue

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations is underway and currently the most talked about competition in world football. Although it was originally scheduled to begin in June-July of the year 2023 itself, the plan was changed. Amid the concern of heavy rains across the host nation of Ivory Coast during that period, the entire tournament was shifted to January-February 2024. But to maintain the naming standard and continuity, it is still called ‘2023 AFCON’, not ‘2024 AFCON’.

This edition of the tournament constitutes 24 nations which will compete for the coveted 2023 AFCON title in Ivory Coast. This is just the second time, the country from West Africa is hosting this important showdown concerned with the continent of Africa. The last time, Côte d’Ivoire hosted the event was back in the year 1984. Among the 24 nations vying for the title, many players have left their European clubs amidst the ongoing league games.

As the tournament is being played out in January and set to end in February, many clubs have been impacted. European leagues are known for having the brightest of talents from across the globe. So it is a no-brainer, that they have been impacted heavily because of the 2023 AFCON games.

It is not the English Premier League that lost huge number of players but the French Ligue 1

Although the Premier League is the most watched and hotly contested football league in Europe and the whole world, it hasn’t lost the most number of players. The English top-tier competition was left behind in the metrics for most call-ups from a European league for 2023 AFCON.

The French first-tier football competition called Ligue 1 has been impacted heavily. As many as 52 players from across the 18 clubs competing in the biggest league of French football have left to join their respective nations in Ivory Coast.

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The club that lost the biggest in France’s top-tier

Among the 18 sides competing for the 2023-23 Ligue 1 title, one club has even lost as many as 8 players. The Olympique de Marseille side parted ways with eight of their stars and being amidst the ongoing league games. Currently lingering in seventh place, just 3 points off the European places, this comes as a major blow to stakeholders and fans.

Last time out Les Phocéens were up against Patrick Vieira’s RC Strasbourg. The game ended 1-1. Although Gennaro Gattuso’s men were ahead for almost the whole 90 minutes, a late equaliser from visitors felt like a heartbreak. The lack of depth without the 8 players can be seen in such moments.

The Senegal national football team had called the highest number of players from Gattuso’s side. Pape Gueye, Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr are the three players called up by the defending champions of AFCON.

The nation that impacted the most to France’s league division games

Although Ligue 1 has had the most call-ups among the European leagues for the 2023 AFCON games, it is the whole of France that has been impacted as well. With 52 call-ups from Ligue 1 alone, there have been as many as 27 call-ups further from the below divisions like – Ligue 2 and National, the third division. This brings the total to 79 players from the nationwide clubs of France participating in the Ivory Coast edition of the AFCON games.

16 nations have called at least one player playing in the football divisions of France. And out of those it is the 2021 AFCON winner, Senegal calling as many as 10 players from the whole of France. Of those 10 players, only one is from Ligue 2 side while all other 9 are from Ligue 1 clubs. Abdoulaye Ndiaye is the only Ligue 2 player from ES Troyes AC who joined the camp of reigning champions Sadio Mané and Co.

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