How This Year’s AFCON is Bringing Fans Together - and Tearing Them Apart

Two weeks into AFCON 2023 in Cote D’lvoire, the tournament is proving to be an entertaining spectacle. Participating teams arriving in tribal uniforms, the parade of jerseys and the passion of fans across the stadiums have continued to propel a uniting narrative for African football.

AFCON 2023 has rolled out head-scratching upsets, and a percolating vibe that the competition's dark horses wouldn't go out easily. By the end of the group stages, we’ve seen more shockers than we’d normally see in entire tournaments. Equatorial Guinea kept Nigeria at bay on Match Day 1 in a game that ended 1-1; Namibia beat Tunisia 1-0; Cape Verde triumphed over Ghana 2-1; Mauritania stung 2019 AFCON champions Algeria 1-0 to reach the next round; and Equatorial Guinea trashed Cote D’lvoire 4 -0 on Match Day 3.

Algeria's forward #18 Mohamed Amoura fights for the ball with Mauritania's forward #19 Aboubakary Koita during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 group D football match between Mauritania and Algeria at Stade de la Paix in Bouake on January 23, 2024.Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images.

As the tournament progresses to the exciting round of 16 phase, it has already generated a range of reactions and banter on social media. From fans on the continent and beyond, it is a curious study about the paradoxical nature of football, bringing everyone together for the love of the game and splitting them along national allegiance.

“Nah Senegal gotta go. Can’t be hooping like this during Afcon. Afcon is for chaos. If you wanna hoop, do it at the World Cup,” tweeted @camatana25, quoting a video of how good Senegal was playing against Cameroon.

“The N in AFCON is for ‘No gree for anyone’. Nothing concerns AFCON with football heritage. Algeria sef don collect from Mauritania - people that their hotel reservation is likely supposed to check out tomorrow,” @Folasanwo said on X (formerly Twitter).

There’s this one about why AFCON is “The Hater’s Cup” as one X user puts it, and it’s pure chaos.

“Afcon is more about seeing the failure of your enemies than the success of your own team,” said @unklekwamz, in reaction to a post about how Nigerians are celebrating Ghana’s opening day loss even though they didn’t win their own opening game.

“No Gree For Anybody' should be printed on large banners across match centres in Ivory Coast. Cause what is this upset going on in AFCON 2023? Ghana had their jollof burnt yesterday. Today, Gambia bought Cameroon pepper to make them a meal. Let's see if they'll cook though” @iamksbassey said.

“What do you mean there is no Afcon today? Surely Ghana and Tunisia can play a 3-aside to keep us entertained. Even if it’s at the airport. It’s not like they have anything to do,” cracked @NJABULON.

“Tunisia & Algeria fighting over which Maghreb country is the worst in AFCON,” posted @teamibou23.

“Imagine say Nigeria host AFCON and we comot first,” tweeted @Mbahdeyforyou.

“South Africa to the next round while other countries are out of the afcon!” poked @tswelomosenyi.

“AFCON writers when writing the Cameroon vs Gambia script,” chimed @teamibou23.

On Tiktok, where reactions have been surging, fans are giving their opinions on how underwhelming their countries are playing. This one is about Ghana being knocked out.

Or this declaration that AFCON is the best tournament of all time: