CAF President, Patrice Motsepe has confirmed that the 2023 AFCON will be held at the beginning of 2024.
On Sunday in Rabat, Morocco, before the CAF Executive Committee, Motsepe announced the revised times due to the rainy seasons in Ivory Coast that are expected to affect the biggest football competitions in the continent .
“The 2023 AfCON will now be played between January and February 2024,” Mostepe told the media during a press conference in Morocco.
After the conclusion of the club competition season, the biannual event was scheduled to take place between June and July 2023.
“This is one of the issues we discussed during our congress meeting here in Morocco and the official dates will be communicated later.It is after deliberations we came into the decision, we have partners and even though we make decisions, it is out of respect that we take the advice we are getting that we cannot take a risk [to host the tournament] and so that is why we have made the necessary announcement today [Sunday].It is not good for African football to play a tournament that can be washed out, it is not good for Africa and the continent at large and so we have to postpone it.”
Motsepe, however, lauded Ivory Coast for the preparations they have already put in place to stage the tournament.
The next edition will take place between January and February 2024 due to the Ivory Coast, the host country, having a rainy season that is worse in June and July.
For the second time, CAF has been compelled to change the tournament’s dates.
Due to Cameroon’s inability to host the event between June and July, the continental body postponed the 2021 AFCON finals until January 2022. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe will not be at the 2023 Afcon following a FIFA ban that came into place in March .
