By Francis Ofori
Accra, Mar. 30, GNA – Ghana, and seven other countries have made it to the fourth edition of the U-23 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament scheduled for June 24 to July 08, in Morocco.
The seven other teams that qualified for the tourney Morocco, Egypt, Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, and Niger would battle for the ultimate trophy in the continental competition this year.
The top three teams in the AFCON tournament would make it to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Ghana would be making her second appearance in the tournament after beating Algeria to book a slot.
The Meteors finished fourth place in their last appearance, losing to Ivory Coast on penalties.
Hosts Morocco would be making a fourth appearance at the competition this year, with hopes of clinching the title for the first time.
Defending champions, The Pharaohs of Egypt booked a place to record its fourth appearance at the tournament.
They made history in 2019, with a host and win record after beating Ivory Coast 2-1 at the Cairo International Stadium.
One-time champion, Gabon has played in the Under-23 AFCON twice in 2011 and 2019.
The men in yellow and blue under the tutelage of Claude Albert Mbourounot stunned Morocco with a 2-1 win to claim the title for the first time in 2011.
Mali has participated twice in the AFCON Under-23 tournament. Their first participation was in 2011 in Morocco, where they were eliminated in the group stages after finishing third in Group A behind Morocco and Gabon.
Mali’s second participation was in the 2019 edition held in Egypt, where they reached the semifinals but were defeated by Ghana.
Congo, Guinea, and Niger would also come into the tournament as debutants, hoping to leave a mark at the African tournament.
The tournament would run from June 24 to July 08, 2023.
GNA