Why is 2024 AFCON called 2023? Date shift behind Africa Cup of Nations explained

The CAF pushed the year of AFCON 2023 to 2024

The 24-team competition Africa Cup of Nations will begin on January 13 and go through February 11 with six groups of four teams competing against one another. The first set of criteria will be head-to-head outcomes between clubs, followed by head-to-head goal differential.

The last tournament was won by Senegal. However, the Pharaohs have advanced to the final twice out of the last three tournaments; in 2021, they came most closely when they fell to Senegal on penalties.

The reason the tournament dates are important to note as Salah and many more top stars such as Victor Osimhen will be looking to steer their nation to Africa’s biggest trophy. But why AFCON 2024 is called 2023? let’s take a look.

Why is 2024 AFCON called 2023?

AFCON is now taking place in early 2024 instead of June and July 2023, as announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in June 2022. Despite this change, the tournament will still be known as the 2023 edition, in keeping with its biennial nature.

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The finals were scheduled to occur during the wettest part of Ivory Coast’s rainy season. Caf president Patrice Motsepe stated at the time, “We cannot take the risk,” which is why the decision was made.

The FIFA World Cup, which was held in November and December of 2022, would have been closer to the competition if it had been relocated to an earlier date.

The tournament organisers are probably considering branding, logistics, and expenses because this is not the first occasion in recent memory that a tournament has changed years while maintaining the original year in its name.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the UEFA EURO 2020 to be postponed, however, it retained its entire original name even though it was held in 2021.

To prevent recurring conflicts where teams are obliged to release players in the middle of the season, CAF agreed in 2017 to move the finals from January and February to the summer.

For the players participating, AFCON is an incredibly renowned chance, but losing them in the middle of their home schedules is also a severe blow to their club teams.

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