The Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Patrice Motsepe, on Friday in Abidjan said about two billion people globally are watching the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire.
Motsepe disclosed this at a news conference, ahead of the AFCON final on Saturday.
He described the feat as an achievement that Africans should be proud of.
AFCON 2023 Grand Final: Hosts Cote d’Ivoire to tackle Nigeria
“We have had close to two billion people watching AFCON globally. We should be proud as Africans and the next one will be even better.
“The success of Africa depends upon Africa working together, trading together, and in football, countries competing and playing together,” he said.
BRANDPOWER reports that the organisation of the tournament has so far been top notch, with six beautiful stadia across five cities hosting the continental showpiece.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will lock horns with hosts Cote d’Ivoire in a block burster final on Sunday at the 60, 000 capacity Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpé in the outskirts of Abidjan.
While the third-place match on Saturday between South Africa and DR Congo is slated for the iconic Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny also in Abidjan.
The 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations is heading towards a dramatic conclusion as Nigeria prepares to take on Côte d’Ivoire in the final on Sunday 11 February.
The Super Eagles advanced from the semi-finals after defeating South Africa 4-2 in a thrilling penalty shootout while tournament hosts Cote d’Ivoire booked their place in the showpiece game after edging DR Congo 1-0 on Wednesday night.
The two sides will meet in the final for the second time in the tournament having already played each other once in a group game. Nigeria emerged then as the winners after William Troost-Ekong netted a penalty to hand the Super Eagles a 1-0 victory.
Despite being a tournament full of twists, turns and upsets, the final will be contested by two sides that have previously won AFCON.
Nigeria are three-time winners, lifting the trophy in 1980, 1994 and 2013, while the Cote d’Ivoire Elephants have been crowned champions twice, in 1992 and 2015.
AFCON 2023 Final: Date, kick-off time, venue
The final of the 2023 African Cup of Nations will kick off at 20:00 (GMT) on Sunday 11 February at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan.
The third-place playoff, featuring DR Congo and South Africa will take place on Saturday 10 February at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny
How to watch 2023 AFCON Final
2023 AFCON, held in 2024, is available to watch live across Africa and the rest of the world. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) aims to make the tournament accessible on free-to-air TV across the continent.
Nigerian fans will be able to watch the match live on AfroSport.
In the UK & Ireland, Sky Sports are broadcasting every AFCON fixture while BBC Three will also be broadcasting the final live. Streams are available on the BBC Sport website, BBC iPlayer and SkyGo app.
Other broadcasters include beIN Sport, which will broadcast the tournament in the Middle East and North Africa region as well as in France and the United States; CANAL+, which will show the event in French in Sub-Saharan Africa; GTV in Ghana; ZIGGO Sport in the Netherlands; and the CAF’s own media channels will also show games in some countries.
NAN/olympics.com
