CAF curbs Euro enthusiasm for Ivorian AFCON setting January-February 2024 dates for finals

March 31 - The next Africa Cup of Nations final in Ivory Coast will take place from January 13 to February 11 next year, potentially sparking another clash between clubs and countries for Africa's best players European elite leagues.

The 2023 finals have been postponed from June to July this year due to concerns over the weather at that time, and will instead be played in the middle of the 2023/24 European season.

CAF ideally wants to keep its promise to follow the European schedule by playing the finals in the summer in the future, but cannot when hosted in West Africa due to heavy rains in that part of the mainland during these months.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Bayern Munich striker Sadio Mane, Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez and Napoli's Victor Osimhen are just some of their teams' key players who could miss up to five weeks of the season next depending on their progress. in the final.

The month-long tournament returns to Ivory Coast for the first time since 1984, with six nations, apart from the hosts, having qualified for the 24-team competition so far. They are Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, defending champion Senegal, Tunisia and Burkina Faso.

There are still two qualifying rounds left in June and September.

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