Here’s What Went Down In The First Week of AFCON 2023

The 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is well underway and the first week has been everything soccer fans could dream of. The players have shown up to exhibit their incredible skills, and so too have the fans shown up to entertain. The soccer festival’s opening ceremony, which took place in Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium, was a vibrant display of the West African country’s beautiful history, and Africa as a whole. In Abidjan to perform the festival’s official theme song “Akwaba,” were Nigerian Afropop star Yemi Alade, Ivorian coupé-décalé band Magic System and Egyptian singer Mohamed Ramadan. The tournament’s official Elephant mascot Akwaba – which means “welcome” in the local Akan language – was introduced to the equally vibrant and energetic crowd.

Here are the standout moments from the first week of AFCON:

On the field at AFCON 2023

The first week of AFCON 2023 was filled with matches that had fans all over the world on the edge of their seats. Ivory Coast scooped the first and opening win of the tournament with a 2-0 victory against Guinea-Bissau. The following days featured a hat trick from Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue, Namibia scored their first-ever AFCON victory, and former Manchester United forward Bebe landed an impressive 40-yard goal for his home country Cape Verde. Baghdad Bounedjah’s stoppage time goal gave 2019 winners Algeria a draw against Burkina Faso and a fighting chance to earn a spot in the Round of 16. Egypt’s 2-2 draw with Ghana saw captain and star player Mohammed Salah limp off with an injury to his left thigh before halftime.

Off the field at AFCON 2023

Some AFCON fans have taken to social media to engage in playful banter or exchange some intense competitive chatter – others got themselves into legal trouble. Algerian social media influencer Sofia Benlemmane was arrested, deported, and banned for life from the Ivory Coast for posting a slew of social media videos criticizing the West African nation. The Algerian government condemned Benlemmane’s statement against a “friendly and brotherly country” and asked for her to be deported.

After the nation’s first victory against The Gambia, six fans from Guinea died during celebrations that took place in the country’s capital of Conakry. The Guinean Football Federation called for calm as they explained that fans had been celebrating by driving cars and riding motorcycles.

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At the top of week two, we head into the last round of group-stage games before the last 16 groups battle it out for the trophy.