Where to watch AFCON 2023 draw live in Nigeria

With the highly-anticipated Africa Cup of Nations 2023 draw just hours away, football fans in Nigeria and around the world are gearing up for the excitement of one of the continent's most prestigious tournaments.

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals will feature top teams battling for glory over the coming months.

As the AFCON 2023 draw for the tournament looms, it's a great opportunity for fans to get a glimpse of what awaits.

🗳️ #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 draw
📅 October 12
⏰ 19:00 GMT

BE READY! pic.twitter.com/yt0kZo9eUN

— CAF (@CAF_Online) October 11, 2023

In this article, we'll explore the participating teams, the draw format, and most importantly, how to watch the AFCON 2023 draw live in Nigeria.

African football legends to assist with AFCON 2023 draw

A stellar quartet of African football icons, including Didier Drogba, Mikel Obi, Sadio Mane, and Achraf Hakimi, will serve as Draw Assistants for the AFCON draw.

Drogba, the Ivorian legend, is the nation's top goal scorer and a hometown hero.

Mikel, a Nigerian star, joins the ranks with an AFCON title to his name.

Mane, who helped Senegal clinch their first AFCON title, is a revered figure, and Hakimi adds North African star quality to the event.

The Final Draw will witness an array of dignitaries, including delegations, coaches, legends, media, partners, and African leaders, making it an eagerly awaited occasion.

AFCON 2023 draw: Participating teams

Ivory Coast automatically secured a spot in the 2023 AFCON as the host nation.

The remaining 23 nations had to earn their places through the qualifiers.

The teams that successfully qualified for the finals include 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.

AFCON 2023 draw: Team pots

The 2023 AFCON draw was organized based on the teams' FIFA rankings as of September. The teams were divided into four pots:

Pot 1: Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt

Pot 2: Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, DR Congo

Pot 3: South Africa, Cape Verde, Guinea, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania

Pot 4: Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Gambia, Tanzania

Competition format

The 24 participating teams will be grouped into six (6) groups, labeled A, B, C, D, E, and F, with each group containing four (4) teams.

The host country, Ivory Coast, is placed at the top of Group A (position A1).

The holders of the title will lead one of the remaining five groups, while the other group leaders will be determined based on their FIFA rankings.

The top six teams make up Level I. The other 18 teams are distributed into groups of 6 in each of the remaining levels (Level II, Level III, and Level IV) based on their FIFA rankings.

AFCON 2023 draw procedures

The draw will be conducted in several steps, beginning with the allocation of teams from each pot to the respective groups. Here's a breakdown of the procedure:

Step 1:

• Pot 4 (Level IV teams): Teams will be drawn and placed in groups A, B, C, D, E, and F (in position A4, B4, C4, D4, E4, F4, respectively).

Step 2:

• Pot 3 (Level III teams): Teams will be drawn and placed in groups A, B, C, D, E, and F (in position A3, B3, C3, D3, E3, F3, respectively).

Step 3:

• Pot 2 (Level II teams): Teams will be drawn and placed in groups A, B, C, D, E, and F (in position A2, B2, C2, D2, E2, F2, respectively).

Step 4:

• Pot 1 (Level I teams + Host): The host country's ball will be drawn first, placed in Group A1. Then, the remaining Level I teams will be drawn and placed in groups B1, C1, D1, E1, F1, respectively.

When is the AFCON 2023 draw?

The AFCON 2023 draw is scheduled for Thursday, 12 October 2023, at 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT, 22:00 Cairo/East Africa time, 21:00 CAT) at the new Parc Des Expositions venue in Abidjan.

Where to Watch the AFCON 2023 draw live?

Football fans in Nigeria and around the world can catch the AFCON 2023 draw ceremony live on CAF's YouTube channel and through CAF's global TV partners, including SuperSport.