Why AFCON 2023 will be the biggest edition in the tournament's history

AFCON 2023 has been the most anticipated edition of the tournament and here are reasons we think this might just be the biggest one yet in the competition's history.

As AFCON 2023 officially commences today, Saturday, January 13, 2024, fans in different parts of the continent have had their eyes and ears all out in anticipation of what is to come. For many this will be the very first edition of the tournament they will be tuning in to and we have compiled five reasons the 34th edition of AFCON is poised to be the biggest and the best of the tournament so far.

When is AFCON 2023 starting?

AFCON 2023 will commence today, Saturday, January 13, 2024, and will come to an end on February 11, 2024. Fixtures in the group stages of the competition have caught the eyes of fans across the continent and beyond as many are eager to see how far the game of football in Africa has evolved with AFCON 2023.

READ ALSO: Top 5 goalscorers who will challenge for the Golden Boot at AFCON 2023

Why is AFCON 2023 a must-watch for football fans worldwide?

A shift in the dynamics of African football surfaced at the World Cup 2022 as semi-finalists Morocco as well as countries such as Cameroon beat Brazil and many more instances that shocked the world. African countries were no longer to be written off after the continent's stellar performance on the biggest stage which was the World Cup. The game of football has continued to evolve on the continent and AFCON 2023 will be the stage the world will witness the growth of the game of football in its full capacity.

Many might wonder how this growth has occurred in African football and why everyone is excited about AFCON 2023, here are key points that make the competition a must-watch for fans worldwide:

The players at AFCON 2023

A key factor that already makes AFCON 2023 the biggest edition yet is the quality of players who will actively participate in the competition. In the past, the top players in the competition could be spotted in a few countries the 2023 edition is another testament on its own as the biggest stars in Europe, America, Asia and many more have all returned for the competition to represent their countries on the biggest stage yet.

The quality of players also affects the game as a whole as it readjusts how it is played and how it is managed by officials of the competition. With the Ballon d'Or top 10 finalist Victor Osimhen in the competition, one of the highest goalscorers in the premier league Mohamed Salah also in the competition as well as one of the highest goalscorers in the Bundesliga Serhou Guirassy, and many more all the competition it is arguably a fight to the finish.

Media Coverage

The battle for TV rights for AFCON 2023 had been the talk of the town, the biggest names in the broadcast business had expressed their desire to air the competition on their pay-TV services. This is a huge shift as compared to previous editions that had been aired on only one pay TV service. The 2023 AFCON will be aired on Sky Sports in the UK, DSTV, StarTimes, and the New World TV as well. This expands the coverage of the tournament as a whole as it is now poised to reach a wider audience in different parts of the world and not just within the continent itself.

The prize money

The African Football Association CAF announced that there will be a 40% increase in the prize money of the competition as the winner of the tournament will now go home with seven million dollars with the runners-up also receiving a major increase as well.

All roads definitely lead to Ivory Coast as the world will be watching as Africa redefines its football history, introduces new talents to the world and also maintains its rich cultural heritage.

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