By Naijatruth
Dr. Patrice Motsepe
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire has attracted a huge global audience, with the CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, revealing that nearly two billion people are tuning in to watch the matches.
Motsepe made this announcement at a press briefing on Friday in Abidjan, the capital city of the host nation. He praised the remarkable achievement and urged Africans to celebrate their continent’s football prowess. “This is a historic moment for African football. We have almost two billion people around the world following AFCON. This is something we should be proud of as Africans and we should strive to make the next edition even better.
“The future of Africa lies in our unity and cooperation, in trade, in development, and in football, where our countries can compete and play together in a spirit of brotherhood and solidarity,” he said.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the tournament has been well-organised and well-received, with six magnificent stadia in five different cities serving as the venues for the games.
The final match of the tournament will see Nigeria’s Super Eagles face off against the host nation’s Elephants on Sunday at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpé, which has a seating capacity of 60,000. The stadium is located on the outskirts of Abidjan and was inaugurated in 2020.
The third-place match will take place on Saturday between South Africa’s Bafana Bafana and DR Congo’s Leopards at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, also in Abidjan. The stadium is named after the first president of Côte d’Ivoire and is one of the oldest and most iconic stadia in Africa.