AFCON Odds, Favourites & Preview – Africa Cup of Nations

In this post, we take a look at the AFCON odds, favourites plus everything else you need to know about the Africa Cup of Nations.

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is the 34th edition of Africa’s most prestigious international football tournament. This year’s AFCON will be hosted by the Ivory Coast with the opening game taking place on January 13th.

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Final will be played on February 11th in the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpé, Ivory Coast.

Africa Cup of Nations Odds

Africa Cup of Nations Favourites

Nigeria (Favourite)

World Ranking: 42nd

AFCON Titles: 1

Nigeria are our newest AFCON Favourite at odds of 15/8  to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Those odds suggest that the side have a 34.8% chance of success in the tournament.

Nigeria’s Tale of the Tape

Nigeria were initially drawn in Group A alongside Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast and Guinea Bissau.  They’d draw their opening game 1-1 against Equatorial Guinea 1-1 before beating Ivory Coast 0-1 and Guinea Bissasu 0-1 to finish the Group as runner-up to Equatorial Guinea on goal difference.

Nigeria beat Cameroon 2-0 at the Round of 16 stage to qualify for the Quarter-Final where they are set to face Angola.

How Nigeria Qualified

Nigeria qualified for the tournament with a record of 5 wins and 1 loss from a group consisting of Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and São Tomé and Príncipe. They scored 22 goals on their way and conceded only 4.

Head Coach

Jose Peseiro – They’ve been managed by the Portuguese man since being appointed Head Coach on 15th 2022. However, despite an impressive run of form recently from 19 games he has just 9 wins a win-rate of 47.37%

Players to Watch

Star Player – Victor Osimhen

The “World Class” Napoli front man for his country has 21 goals from 32 appearances  for his country  including 1 in the Group Stage in their opening game of the tournament. However, if he kicks on a gear and starts scoring regularly he could win them this tournament on his own.

Ivory Coast (Hosts)

World Ranking: 49th

AFCON Titles: 2

Tournament hosts Ivory Coast have been given odds of 5/2 to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Those odds suggest that the side have a 28.6% chance of success in the tournament.

Ivory Coast’s Tale of the Tournament

Ivory Coast were initially drawn in Group A alongside Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Guinea Bissau.  They’d win their opening game 2-0 against Guinea Bissau before losses to Nigeria 0-1 and Equatorial Guinea 4-0.

However, they qualified for the next stage as one of the best ranked third-place sides.

Ivory Coast drew 1-1 with Senegal before beating them 4-5 on penalties at the Round of 16 stage to qualify for the Quarter-Final where they are set to face Mali.

How Ivory Coast Qualified

Ivory Coast qualified for the tournament as hosts along with coming runners-up in Group H with a record of 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat against Zambia, Comoros and Lesotho only losing out of the top by goal difference two goals worse than Zambia. They scored 9 goals in those matches conceding 5 goals.

Head Coach

Jean-Louis Gasset – They’ve been managed by Jean-Louis Gasset since May 2022 and he has earned his side a win rate of 64.29% across his 14 matches at the helm with 9 wins, 3 draws and 2 defeats.

Players to Watch

Star Player – Sebastien Haller

What a story it has been for Haller!, the former West Ham and Ajax striker was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2022 but eventually overcame it and returned to professional football in January 2023.

Now with Dortmund, he has struggled with an Ankle Injury and so from 14 games, 450 minutes he has 2 goals this season. However, if he can find his feet again in this tournament he could add considerably to his 8 goals in 21 games for his country!

Who would begrudge him that comeback story?

Mali (Third Favourite)

World Ranking: 51st

AFCON Titles: 0 (Runner-up, 1972)

Tournament hosts Mali have been given odds of 11/2 to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Those odds suggest that the side have a 15.4% chance of success in the tournament.

Mali’s Tale of the Tournament

Mali were initially drawn in Group E alongside South Africa, Namibia and Tunisa.  They’d win their opening game 2-0 against South Africa Bissau drawing 1-1 against Tunisia and drawing 0-0 against Namibia.

Thus, their five-point total was enough for them to win Group E.

Mali at the Round of 16 stage were drawn against Burkina Faso and they had a 2-1 victory to earn themselves a Quarter-Final spot against Ivory Coast.

How Mali Qualified

Mali qualified for the tournament with a record  of 5 victories and only one loss from their group with Gambia, Congo and South Suda. Mali scored 15 goals in their group and conceded only 2.

Head Coach

Éric Chelle – They’ve been managed by Eric  since 2022 and he has earned his side a win rate of 70.59% across his 17 matches at the helm with 12 wins, 4 draws and 1 defeats

Players to Watch

Star Player – Hemari Traoré

The Right-Back who plays his club football with Real Sociedad has been arguably their star performer in the tournament with 1 goal and 1 assist

Traoré performances will prove key if they’re to cause a shock in the later rounds and win their first AFCON Tournament.

DR Congo (Fourth Favourite)

World Ranking: 67th

AFCON Titles: 2

Tournament hosts DR Congo have been given odds of 9/1 to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Those odds suggest that the side have a 10% chance of success in the tournament.

DR Congo’s Tale of the Tournament

DR Congo were initially drawn in Group F alongside Morocco, Zambia and Tanzania.  They’d draw their opening game 1-1 against Zambia before drawing 1-1 against Morocco and drawing 0-0 against Tanzania.

Thus, their five-point total was enough for them to win Group E.

DR Congo at the Round of 16 stage were drawn against Egypt and AET they’d drawn 1-1.  DR Congo over came Egypt in a dramatic 7-8 penalty shoot-out to book  themselves a Quarter-Final spot against Guinea.

How DR Congo Qualified

Mali qualified for the tournament with a record  of 4victories and 2 losses from their group with Mauritania, Gabon and Sudan. DR Congo scored 11 goals in their group and conceded 4.

Head Coach

Sébastien Desabre – Sébastien has managed DR Congo

Éric Chelle – They’ve been managed by Eric  since 2022 after they had failed to qualify for the World Cup. His contract is for four years, with the aim of guiding DR Congo to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Players to Watch

Star Player – Arthur Masuaku

The former West Ham Left Back (now at Beşiktaş) has been been his countries top-performer at the tournament so far for both his defensive but also his attacking qualities.

Masuaku is a brilliant dribbler and passer average 15 successful dribbles per game, 85.7% pass accuracy and a long-ball accuracy of 60%.

Click Below For Our LIVE Africa Cup of Nations Odds

Africa Cup of Nations Previous Winners and Runners-Up

Countries With The Most Africa Cup of Nations Titles

*Prices subject to fluctuation.

Remember, always gamble responsibly. Here’s our Safer Gambling Guide.