Ghana are gearing up to discover its opponents for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the draw set to take place in Ivory Coast on Thursday.
While the Black Stars may hope for a favourable draw, the reality is that they are not among the seeded teams and will likely face formidable opponents from the continent.
Potential rivals in the group stage include the host nation Ivory Coast and African champions Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia, all of which have posed challenges for Ghana in past tournaments. In the previous edition of the AFCON, Ghana had Morocco in their group, and the Black Stars suffered a surprise group stage exit after losing their opening match to the Atlas Lions.
However, one positive note is that Ghana will not meet their sworn rivals, Nigeria, in the group stage as both teams are in the same pot. Pot 2 also includes Cameroon, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burkina Faso. Ghana might potentially face any of the teams in Pot 3, which comprises South Africa, Cape Verde, Guinea, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, and Mauritania. Pot 4 consists of Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Gambia, Tanzania, and Guinea Bissau.
With expectations of a challenging draw, Black Stars players, currently in the United States for preparations and friendly matches against Mexico and the USA, will closely follow the draw proceedings in Ivory Coast.
The draw ceremony will be hosted by music star Akon, and it is anticipated that Ghana’s journey in the tournament will be marked by fierce competition against some of the continent’s top footballing nations.