The TotalEnergies CAF U23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2023 finally kicks off at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat on Saturday.
Eight teams will be battling for top honours and the three slots that guarantee qualification to the Paris Olympic Games 2024.
Hosts Morocco will open their campaign with a Group A clash against unpredictable debutants Guinea on Saturday night in what promises to be a thriller.
Although the hosts are expected to benefit massively from the home support, the Guinea team that ejected giants Nigeria during the last phase of the qualifiers have vowed to prove a point that qualification was not by mistake.
Morocco will hope that some of their top players like Ismael Saibari and forward Abdellah Raihani who feature for PSV Eindhoven and Athletico de Madrid respectively find their touch to lead the team to register a positive start.
But Guinea who ejected Nigeria on a 2-0 goal aggregate in the qualifiers with Algassine Bah and Soumah Alseny scoring will also be another team to watch as the team has been together for over five years through the different age categories.
The local fans in Rabat and Tangier are also gearing up to go to the Stadiums in large numbers to enjoy good football. Muhamed Saleh, one of the football fans in Rabat said he cannot wait to watch good football during the U23 AFCON. “These are the feature stars and this is a good platform for them to showcase good talent,” added Saleh.
Fasil Ramadani, a resident of Tangier made it clear that he will keep travelling between the two cities to watch some of the matches. “Players in this category express themselves so well and it is always a joy to watch them. I can’t wait for the competition to start,” added Ramadani.
On Sunday another Group A match will see Ghana who finished fourth in the 2019 battling Congo in a Group A match, while defending champions Egypt face Niger, and Mali take on the 2011 champions Gabon in Group B matches in Tangier.
GROUPS
Group A: Morocco, Ghana, Congo Brazzaville, Guinea
Group B: Egypt, Mali, Gabon, Niger