In order to give the continent’s teams more time to prepare for the World Cup in Qatar, qualifying matches for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which were originally slated for September, have been moved to March in 2019.
When the finals—originally slated to take place in Ivory Coast in June and July 2023—were moved to early 2024 in an effort to escape the rainy season, the decision to postpone the qualifiers was made easier.
The remaining qualifying matches could be rescheduled as a result of the Cup of Nations’ postponement, according to a memo sent to the CAF executive committee members and obtained by AFP. It also enables the scheduling of international friendlies in September in order to get ready for the World Cup.
Senegal, who won the 2022 Cup of Nations, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, and Tunisia all made it into the World Cup, which will be held in Qatar from November 21 through December 18, and they will all compete there.
The third and fourth rounds of the 2024 Cup of Nations qualification process are slated for March 2023, the fifth and sixth match days are scheduled for June, and the sixth day is scheduled for September.
This year’s first two rounds were finished in June.
