Africa Cup of Nations dates, fixtures and games Premier League stars will miss
Will Mohamed Salah finally win the Africa Cup of Nations this year?
The 2023 AFCON, which was delayed by six months to be played in cooler temperatures, will take place in the Ivory Coast between January 13 and February 11. A total of 24 nations will take part in the tournament, including Salah's Egypt and defending champions Senegal.
Sadio Mane inspired Senegal to victory against Egypt in the final two years ago, with Salah's nation also coming up short in 2017. The Liverpool legend would love to finally get over the line this year in the Ivory Coast, but doing so won't be easy.
There will be plenty of great players on show at the AFCON, including 31 from the Premier League. The likes of Brentford striker Yoane Wissa, Fulham winger Alex Iwobi and Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana will feature in the tournament.
Hosts Ivory Coast have qualified for the AFCON... and so have former champions Morocco, Algeria, South Africa, Senegal, Tunisia, Egypt, Zambia, Nigeria, Ghana, DR Congo and Cameroon. None of the 24 qualified nations will make their debut in the competition.
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Previous runners-up Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea - as well as Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Angola, Tanzania, Mozambique, Mauritania, Gambia and Namibia - will all look to win their maiden AFCON title. It promises to be a great tournament.
How can I watch the AFCON?
Mohamed Salah is hoping to finally win the AFCON in February (Getty Images)Who do you think will win the Africa Cup of Nations? Let us know in the comments below!
Sky Sports will show live coverage of the AFCON, while the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) YouTube channel will also show some free action.
Senegal are the favourites to retain their crown, but Morocco, hosts Ivory Coast and Algeria are also fancied by the bookies. Despite boasting Salah's talents, Egypt - as well as Cameroon, Nigeria, Tunisia and Ghana - aren't expected to go the distance.
What are the AFCON fixtures?
Saturday 13th January
- Ivory Coast vs Guinea-Bissau, 8pm
Sunday 14th January
- Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea, 2pm
- Egypt vs Mozambique, 5pm
- Ghana vs Cape Verde, 8pm
Monday 15th January
- Senegal vs Gambia, 2pm
- Cameroon vs Guinea, 5pm
- Algeria vs Angola, 8pm
Tuesday 16th January
- Burkina Faso vs Mauritania, 2pm
- Tunisia vs Namibia, 5pm
- Mali vs South Africa, 8pm
Wednesday 17th January
- Morocco vs Tanzania, 5pm
- DR Congo vs Zambia, 8pm
Thursday 18th January
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- Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea-Bissau, 2pm
- Ivory Coast vs Nigeria, 5pm
- Egypt vs Ghana, 8pm
Friday 19th January
- Cape Verde vs Mozambique, 2pm
- Senegal vs Cameroon, 5pm
- Guinea vs Gambia, 8pm
Saturday 20th January
- Algeria vs Burkina Faso, 2pm
- Mauritania vs Angola, 5pm
- Tunisia vs Mali, 8pm
Sunday 21st January
- Morocco vs DR Congo, 2pm
- Zambia vs Tanzania, 5pm
- South Africa vs Namibia, 8pm
Monday 22nd January
- Equatorial Guinea vs Ivory Coast, 5pm
- Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria, 5pm
- Cape Verde vs Egypt, 8pm
- Mozambique vs Ghana, 8pm
Tuesday 23rd January
- Gambia vs Cameroon, 5pm
- Guinea vs Senegal, 5pm
- Angola vs Burkina Faso, 8pm
- Mauritania vs Algeria, 8pm
Wednesday 24th January
- Namibia vs Mali, 5pm
- South Africa, Tunisia, 5pm
- Tanzania vs DR Congo, 8pm
- Zambia vs Morocco, 8pm
Saturday 27th January
- Group D Winner vs Third Place Group B/E/F, 5pm
- Group A Runner-up vs Group C Runner-up, 8pm
Sunday 28th January
- Group A Winner vs Third Place Group C/D/E, 5pm
- Ground B Runner-up vs Group F Runner-up, 8pm
Monday 29th January
- Group B Winner vs Third Place Group A/C/D, 5pm
- Group C Winner vs Third Place Group A/B/F, 8pm
Tuesday 30th January
- Group E Winner vs Group D Runner-up, 5pm
- Group F Winner vs Group E Runner-up, 8pm
Friday 2nd February
- Quarter-final 1, 5pm
- Quarter-final 2, 8pm
Saturday 3rd February
- Quarter-final 3, 5pm
- Quater-final 4, 8pm
Wednesday 7th February
- Semi-final 1, 5pm
- Semi-final 2, 8pm
Saturday 10th February
- Third-place play-off, 8pm
Sunday 11th February
- Final, 8pm
Which Premier League players are involved?
Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny (Egypt)
Aston Villa: Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso)
Bournemouth: Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso), Antoine Semenyo (Ghana)
Brentford: Frank Onyeka (Nigeria), Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)
Brighton: Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast)
Chelsea: Nicolas Jackson (Senegal)
Crystal Palace: Jordan Ayew (Ghana)
Everton: Idrissa Gueye (Senegal)
Fulham: Fode Ballo-Toure (Senegal), Calvin Bassey (Nigeria), Alex Iwobi (Nigeria)
Liverpool: Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
Luton: Issa Kabore (Burkina Faso)
Manchester United: Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco), Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Andre Onana (Cameroon)
Nottingham Forest: Ola Aina (Nigeria), Serge Aurier (Ivory Coast), Willy Boly (Ivory Coast), Cheikhou Kouyate (Senegal), Moussa Niakhate (Senegal), Ibrahim Sangare (Ivory Coast)
Sheffield United: Yasser Larouci (Algeria), Anis Ben Slimane (Tunisia)
Tottenham: Yves Bissouma (Mali), Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)
West Ham: Nayef Aguerd (Morocco), Mohammed Kudus (Ghana)
Wolves: Rayan Ait-Nouri (Algeria), Boubacar Traore (Mali)
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