The Africa Cup of Nations is set to begin in 2024, and Ivory Coast will be hosting the tournament for the second time. The previous time they hosted was in 1984, when Cameroon emerged as the champions. Nigeria secured the second position, while Algeria finished third.
However, Ivory Coast’s first hosting experience did not go as planned. Despite starting with a victory over Togo, they suffered defeats against Egypt and Cameroon, leading to their elimination after the group stage.
The upcoming tournament will consist of a total of 52 matches, spanning over a period of 30 days. These matches will be divided into six groups, with 36 matches played in the group stage and 16 matches in the knockout phase.
Various cities in Ivory Coast will serve as hosts for the matches. The commercial capital, Abidjan, will witness the highest number of matches, with 20 games scheduled to be played in two stadiums. Bouake will host nine matches, while San Pedro and Yamoussoukro will each host eight matches. Korhogo will be the venue for seven matches.
The opening match of the tournament, featuring Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau, as well as the final on February 11, will take place at the newly constructed Alhassane Ouattara stadium in Abidjan. This stadium has a seating capacity of 60,000.
To accommodate the tournament, stadiums with a capacity of 20,000 were built in Korhogo, San Pedro, and the capital city, Yamoussoukro. Additionally, the 40,000-seat stadium in Bouake and the 30,000-seat Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium in Abidjan were renovated.
In case teams finish with the same number of points in their respective groups, the tie-breaker will be determined by their head-to-head records. If that does not resolve the tie, goal difference will be considered, followed by the number of goals scored in all group matches.
If teams still cannot be separated, lots will be drawn to determine their final placings. This situation occurred in 2015 when Guinea advanced to the quarter-finals at the expense of Mali.
The use of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) will be implemented in all 52 matches of the tournament. A total of 12 officials will be selected to monitor the matches, along with 26 referees and 30 assistant referees.
The round of 16 in the first knockout stage will include the six group winners, six group runners-up, and the four highest ranked third-placed teams.
In order to determine the best four third-placed teams, tie-breakers such as match points, goal difference, and goals scored in all group matches will be used. If necessary, a drawing of lots will be conducted.
Teams that have qualified for the tournament are allowed to have squads of up to 27 players. However, only 23 players, consisting of 11 starters and 12 substitutes, can be selected for each match.
The winners of the tournament will receive a record-breaking prize of seven million dollars (6.4 million euros), which is a 40 percent increase compared to the previous tournament won by Senegal in 2022. The runners-up will receive four million dollars.
