Global music star AKON will host the Final Draw of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 on Thursday, October 12, 2023, the federation has announced.
US-born Senegalese singer will be compering the entire event with Ivorian football legend Yaya Toure, who was part of the triumphant Elephants squad that won the AFCON in 2015.
The Final Draw will start at 19:00 local time/GMT (21:00 CAT, 22:00 Cairo) at the breath-taking, brand-new Parc Des Expositions venue in Abidjan and be beamed live on CAF TV (YouTube).
Known in private life as Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam, The Senegalese hitmaker is a huge football fan and social activist whose ‘Akon Lighting Africa’ project seeks to use solar electricity to help African countries meet their basic electricity needs.
AKON’s hosting of the Final Draw, alongside Touré, adds even more star power to what is set to be a glitzy, glamorous, eagerly anticipated occasion, as the 24 qualified nations discover their group stage opponents.
The final draw will be beamed in over 50 countries, with millions of viewers expected to tune in to the event on CAF’s Official YouTube channel, as well as across CAF’s Global TV partners.
The 34th edition of the biggest event on African soil takes place in Cote d’Ivoire from January 13 to February 11, 2024.
The Qualified Nations for the Final Draw:
Cote d’Ivoire (hosts), Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo DR, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia
