THE AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS’ INITIATION
A renowned international football competition, the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is contested in Africa every two years. The “African Nations Cup” was the original name of AFCON, which was arranged and started by Egypt’s football administrator, Abdelaziz Abdallah Salem.
In 1948, Abdelaziz Abdallah Salem, the President of the Egyptian Football Association at the time, suggested holding a continental championship for African countries. His goal was to use sports to foster African nationalism and the growth of football. His goal was to provide a stage on which African nations might participate and display their talent on a global scale.
Once Salem’s idea was formally accepted in 1956, just three teams—Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia—participated in the first African Nations Cup, or AFCON, which was held in Sudan the following year. In the debut edition, Egypt came out on top.
AFCON was founded with the goal of giving African countries a stage on which to compete and advance their footballing abilities. In addition, the competition’s spirit of sportsmanship and rivalry was intended to enhance African nations’ camaraderie and solidarity. Top African football teams from all throughout the continent currently participate in AFCON due to its growing popularity and scale since its inception. It has grown to be a major athletic occasion that promotes African football brilliance and pride in the country.
AWARD FOR AFCON 2024’S BEST TEAM
The prize money for the AFCON winner has been increased to USD 7,000,000 equivalent to KSh 1,113,000,000 a 40% increase over the previous prize money. The CAF President claims that this increase will enable Member Associations with their administrative work, benefit all football stakeholders, and advance African football. The runner-up in this esteemed competition will also get an additional prize of USD 4,000,000 at the same time. It is also encouraging to know that USD 2,500,000 will be awarded to each of the two semi-finalists and USD 1,300,000 to each of the four quarter-finalists.
WHERE WILL THE AFCON OCCUR IN 2024?
Twenty-four countries will compete in the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, which is scheduled to take place in the Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11. In an effort to placate European clubs, the AFCON was originally scheduled for the summer of 2022, but bad weather forced a postponement. Six groups of 24 teams will compete in the competition, with the top two teams from each group and the top four third-place teams moving on to the round of 16. Some of the top players in the world, such as Mohammed Salah of Egypt and Victor Osimhen of Nigeria, will be competing. Senegal and Sadio Mane will be vying for the title, with Morocco, the World Cup semi-finalists, as one of the tournament favorites. Algeria, the 2019 winners, will be led offensively by Riyad Mahrez, while Cameroon’s Andre Onana, a goalkeeper for Manchester United, will start in goal. Global football fans will have access to the competition, with Sky Sports and beIN Sports securing the right to broadcast the matches.
