All you need to know about the AFCON elimination rounds
January 23, 2024
AFCON Elimination rounds. The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations group stage is now in progress.
While every team has participated in at least two games, thus far only a small number of them have advanced to the next round. That implies that a lot of surprises are still in store and that there is still a long way to go. Following a 4-0 thumping at the hands of Equatorial Guinea, hosts Ivory Coast, along with countries like Ghana, Cameroon, Algeria, Tunisia, and Zambia, are temporarily outside of the top two.
WHO MADE IT TO THE LAST 16 IN THE AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS?
Cape Verde
Senegal
Guinea Equatorial
Nigeria
Egypt
WHO AT LEAST GUARANTEES A TOP-THREE POSITION?
These teams will place third or higher in their respective groups. It all depends on the outcomes in other groups, thus they are not assured a spot in the following round.
Ghana
The Ivory Coast
Guinea
Angola
Burkina Faso
Morocco
Mali
WHO IS NO LONGER ABLE TO QUALIFY?
Guinea-Bissau
Malawi
HOW DOES THE THIRD-PLACE RANKING WORK?
With just 24 teams competing at AFCON it is not just the top two from each group who reach the last 16.
As well as the 12 teams that will come from the group winners and group runners-up, there will be four more teams who finished in third.
Given that there six groups it will mean that two teams who finish third will miss out. Currently Ivory Coast, Namibia, Algeria and Zambia would qualify, whilst Ghana and Cameroon would miss out.
AFCON STANDINGS AHEAD OF FINAL GROUP GAMES
All matches in Group A and B have now been played, but there is still much to compete for in the four remaining groups:
WHAT IS THE WORKING OF THE THIRD-PLACE RANKING?
Not just the top two teams from each group advance to the round of 16, although there are only 24 teams competing at AFCON.
There will be four more teams who finished in third place in addition to the 12 teams that will be selected from the group winners and runners-up.
Two teams who place third will not advance because there are six groups. At the moment, Ghana and Cameroon would not make it, but Ivory Coast, Namibia, Algeria, and Zambia would qualify.
Ahead of the last group games, AFCON standings
After all games in Groups A and B were completed, there was still enough to play for in the four groups that remained:
AFCON Elimination rounds.