This year's Africa Cup of Nations has been one of the most exciting continental tournaments in recent memory!
The group stage is not yet over, with the final four fixtures set to be played on Wednesday, yet fans have been treated to drama and several shocking results, the most obvious being Ivory Coast's historic 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea.
The hosts would have secured automatic qualification with a win but were instead humiliated on home soil, leaving them in third. However, the top four third-placed teams in the group stage will still progress to the round of 16, thus handing the Elephants a chance.
Ghana's elimination was a major boost for Nicolas Pepe and Co. Unfortunately, Ivory Coast have completed their three group-stage matches and with four games left to be played, the hosts can only sit back and pray those results go in their favor. Here is what the African giants need to qualify for the round of 16.
What are the tiebreakers in AFCON 2023?
If two teams are tied on points, they are separated by first their head-to-head record and then by goal difference if the first tiebreaker cannot separate the two. After that, goals scored is the third criteria.
However, since the third-placed teams have not faced each other, goal difference and goals scored will be the relevant tiebreakers.
Here are the current standings in AFCON 2023
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Equatorial Guinea | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 7 | WWD | |
| 2 | Nigeria | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 7 | WWD | |
| 3 | Côte d'Ivoire | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 3 | LLW | |
| 4 | Guinea-Bissau | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 0 | LLL |
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Verde Islands | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 | DWW | |
| 2 | Egypt | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | DDD | |
| 3 | Ghana | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 2 | DDL | |
| 4 | Mozambique | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 2 | DLD |
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senegal | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 9 | WWW | |
| 2 | Cameroon | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 4 | WLD | |
| 3 | Guinea | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 4 | LWD | |
| 4 | Gambia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 0 | LLL |
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angola | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 | WWD | |
| 2 | Burkina Faso | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 4 | LDW | |
| 3 | Mauritania | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 3 | WLL | |
| 4 | Algeria | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 2 | LDD |
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mali | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 5 | DDW | |
| 2 | South Africa | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | DWL | |
| 3 | Namibia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 4 | DLW | |
| 4 | Tunisia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 2 | DDL |
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morocco | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 7 | WDW | |
| 2 | Congo DR | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | DDD | |
| 3 | Zambia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 2 | LDD | |
| 4 | Tanzania | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 2 | DDL |
Here are the current standings for the best third-placed teams in AFCON 2023
What is Ivory Coast's situation?
The hosts kicked things off with a 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau before losing their subsequent fixtures, going 1-0 down to Nigeria before being thrashed by Equatorial Guinea 4-0. As a result, they boast three points with a goal difference of -3.
Who are the countries Ivory Coast should be worried about?
Guinea and Mauritania are already through while Ghana's elimination has been confirmed, leaving these four countries:
South Africa: 3 pts, +2 GD
Namibia: 3 pts, -3 GD
Tunisia: 1 pt, -1 GD
Zambia: 2 pts, 0 GD
What do Ivory Coast need to qualify for the AFCON 2023 round of 16?
The Elephants need one of two things to happen:
Namibia have to lose to Mali in their final group-stage tie and Tunisia have to fail to beat South Africa or win by six or more goals. The reason is simple, if South Africa lose, they could drop to third and they will need to lose by six or more goals to see their goal difference drop below Ivory Coast's.
Additionally, the Ivory Coast need Zambia to lose their final game. The Copper Bullets face Morocco in their final game, which is a boost for the Africa Cup of Nations host.
