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The highly anticipated Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is set to kick off in just 5 days in Ivory Coast, where the continent’s biggest stars are expected to shine and compete for the continent's most prestigious trophy.

Host nation Ivory Coast will take centre-stage on the opening day, as they face Guinea-Bissau in the curtain raiser at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, on January 13. From then on, there will be a minimum of two games per day throughout the group stage.


**How does the group stage work?**

The top two teams in each group, along with the four best-ranked third-placed teams, will progress to the last 16. Meanwhile, the bottom teams and the two worst-ranked third-placed teams in each group will be eliminated from the tournament.


**Group A** 

**Teams – Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau**

**Favourites to advance – Ivory Coast, Nigeria**


Ivory Coast and Nigeria are the overwhelming favorites in Group A. The track record speaks for itself, as both teams have a combined five AFCON titles, and possess some of the world’s most talented footballers. 

There is a huge gap between these two heavyweights and the less-fancied duo, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea. However, Under the 24-team format, there is a safety net of third place, so both teams will fight to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.

We are backing Nigeria to top the group, despite concerns about Jose Peseiro’s tactics, the Super Eagles are loaded with top-level talent. They scored the most goals in qualifying (22) and the reigning African Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen finished as top scorer with 10 goals to further enhance his reputation as Africa’s #1 marksman. 

As for the hosts, home advantage should offer a major boost, and while their recent form is concerning, (4 wins in their last 11 games)  they can call on the talents of Sebastien Haller, Evan Ndicka, Simon Adingra and Frank Kessie to guide them safely into the second round.

Equatorial Guinea should have enough for a third place finish, ahead of Guinea Bissau. They enjoyed a successful AFCON qualification campaign with just one defeat across six matches, and are unbeaten in their last 9 outings.

Take advantage of BetKing’s high odds by backing the Super Eagles to finish top of Group A

● Bet on Nigeria to finish top of Group A at AFCON 2024 

**Group B**

**Teams – Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Mozambique**

**Favourites – Egypt, Ghana**

As the most successful nation in the competition, Egypt are well aware of what it takes to win at this level, and they will be eager to secure a first AFCON title since 2010. 


The Pharaohs, led by world-class Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, enter the tournament with their star player in excellent form. Salah, a three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, has contributed 18 goals and 8 assists in 27 games for Liverpool this season. Additionally, he recorded five goal contributions for Egypt in the last three AFCON qualification matches, and will have to continue to shoulder the weight of massive expectations, a responsibility familiar to him, both at club and country level.

Following the heartbreak of the 2021 AFCON final defeat to Senegal, the Pharaohs are determined to make amends and pursue success in Cote d’Ivoire.

We expect Ghana to come in second thanks to their years of experience and pedigree at this level. The Black Stars also boast exciting talent like Antoine Semenyo and Mohammed Kudus. There are question marks around head coach Chris Hughton,  and his ability to set the team up to cope with the absence of Thomas Partey, who will be missing through injury. Partey is one of Africa’s finest midfielders and his absence will surely leave a void. 

However, the Black Stars should have enough to progress ahead of Cape Verde, and Mozambique in the end.
In third place, Cape Verde should have enough to finish ahead of Mozambique, who we expect to struggle in Cote d’Ivoire. 

Cape Verde boasts players from the UEFA Europa League in Logan Costa (Toulouse), who helped beat Liverpool 3-2 on matchday four, Leandro Andrade (Qarabag),  Joao Paulo (Sheriff), as well as Rayo Vallecano winger Bebe, who was once on the books of Manchester United. 
Enjoy BetKing’s high odds by betting on Egypt to top their group


● Bet on Egypt to finish top of Group B at AFCON 2024 

**Group C**

**Teams – Cameroon, Gambia, Guinea, Senegal**

**Favourites – Senegal, Cameroon**

Senegal have been one of the strongest teams on the continent for several years. After finishing in second place at the 2019 edition, the Teranga Lions went a step further in 2021 to seal their first-ever AFCON title. They went unbeaten in AFCON qualifying, winning four of their six matches, and after suffering just one defeat in 2023, they are surely the team to beat.

Sadio Mané will undoubtedly be the star of the show and he will  get plenty of support from dynamic midfielder Idrissa Gueye, and attackers Ismaïla Sarr, and Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson. 

We are tipping Cameroon to finish second in Group C, and the Indomitable Lions will certainly be a tough opponent for anyone. They are one of the most decorated teams in AFCON history with five previous titles but have fallen short in the last two AFCON tournaments,  after a semi-final finish in 2021 and a last-16 run in 2019.

Recent form suggests the Indomitable Lions might be on the decline following one win in their last seven internationals, but Rigobert Song’s side should have enough to get out of Group C as runners-up to Senegal.

In third place, we expect Guinea to squeeze through. They had a strong qualification campaign in Group D, with three wins and a draw. However, two losses against Egypt showed that the National Elephants might struggle to mix it with the big boys.
BetKing, Nigeria’s best online sports betting site, has the best odds for the defending champs to finish top of Group C

● Bet on Senegal to finish top of Group C at AFCON 2024 

**Group D**

**Teams – Angola, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania**

**Favourites - Algeria, Burkina Faso**

Algeria come into this edition of AFCON with a point to prove after being knocked out at the group stage in 2021. They are in excellent form, after going unbeaten in qualifying, winning five of their six group games.

Riyad Mahrez remains the star man at 32 years old, and has scored six goals at AFCON, the joint-most in Algeria's history. The ex-Manchester City man will be ably supported by 23-year-old winger Amine Gouiri, who switched allegiances having played for France at youth level, and has scored 20 goals in 57 appearances for Ligue 1 club Rennes.

Burkina Faso have been improving steadily in recent years and will fancy their chances of causing an upset at AFCON. They finished top of a tight qualifying group containing Cape Verde and Togo, all separated by just three points.

The Stallions were runners-up in 2013, and finished in third and fourth place in 2017 and 2021 respectively. Thus, they will be expected to be Algeria's toughest challengers.

They have exciting talent like Bournemouth’s Dango Ouattara and Edmond Tapsoba, who has been a rock for a table-topping Bayer Leverkusen side.

They will certainly give Algeria a run for their money in this group, but the latter's quality and experience may be too much to overcome.
Mauritania, ranked 99th in the world should have enough to pip a weak Angola side to third place. They fended off Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon side in the qualifiers and will be looking to cause another upset in Cote d’Ivoire.

Take advantage of our professional beting tips by backing Algeria to top their group

● Bet on Algeria to finish top of Group D at AFCON 2024 

**Group E**

**Teams – Mali, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia**

**Favourites – Tunisia, Mali**

This is one of the more difficult groups to call and some have even called Group E the group of death, emphasising the pedigree of the teams involved. 

Tunisia are the favourites to advance, thanks to their recent form (12 wins in their last 16) and their ranking by FIFA as the third best African team. 

The Carthage Eagles have never been known for their star power, but their strength is in the collective and that is what makes them so hard to beat. However, they will rely on 33-year-old Al Arabi striker Youssef Mskani, who has scored 23 goals in his last 33 games at club level,  to put away the chances they will undoubtedly create in Cote d’Ivoire.

Mali could really surprise many in Cote d'Ivoire. They are on an unbeaten streak in their last eight games and boast a top-level midfielder in Yves Bissouma, who has been a standout performer for Tottenham this season. With attacking talents like Koné and Koita, along with the defensive prowess of Haïdara and Hamari Traoré, Mali are well-equipped to compete against the very best.

South Africa, led by Belgian manager Hugo Broos, must face the challenge of missing star player Lyle Foster, who is currently on a break from football to get his mental health in order.

Despite this setback, we expect Bafana Bafana to qualify and continue their recent good form of just 2 defeats in the last 17 games.

Our bet prediction for Group E, is Tunisia to qualify in first place.

● Bet on Tunisia to finish top of Group E at AFCON 2024 

**Group F** 

**Teams – Congo, Morocco, Tanzania, Zambia**

**Favourites – Morocco, Congo**

Morocco made groundbreaking impact on the global football stage last year by becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar. Their remarkable journey included victories over European powerhouses Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. 
The Atlas Lions are now focused on achieving similar success at AFCON,  aiming to showcase the talent and prowess that propelled them to new heights on the world stage.

Despite their recent success, they have only won AFCON once, way back in 1976, and will be desperate to end their long streak without the trophy.

They boast a host of stars playing at top clubs in Europe, including Achraf Hakimi at PSG and Sofyan Amrabat at Manchester United. 
Morocco are heavy favourites to win the tournament outright, and we expect them to cruise through the group stages.

DR Congo are expected to be formidable opponents for Morocco. They successfully navigated a tough qualifying group that included Mauritania, Gabon, and Sudan — a huge relief after missing out on AFCON qualification in 2021.

They have a strong defensive unit led by captain Chancel Mbemba at Marseille, who has earned the second-most caps in their history with 73, while Yoane Wissa has been a revelation at Brentford this season, with 6 goal contributions in 16 games. 
We expect them to qualify from the group as well,  but not ahead of Morocco.

In third place, we expect Zambia to go through as one of the strongest third-place teams in the tournament. They finished top of their qualifying group and will bank on striker Patson Daka, who scored 5 goals in qualifying, to provide the firepower needed to progress from this group.

Our bet of the day is Morocco to cruise through the group stages, winning at least two games. 

● Bet on Morocco to get over 6.5 points in Group F at AFCON 2024 

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