There are 10 days left until the commencement of the biggest football showpiece on the African continent: the Africa Cup of Nations. This time, all road leads to Ivory Coast for the 34th edition. Defending champions Senegal, seven-time winners Egypt, world cup semi-finalists Morocco, and 2019 winners, Algeria, alongside twenty other nations, will battle it all out to emerge the sole African champions. With the Group stage draw already set, football fans and bettors across the continent now settle down to wait the January 13, 2024, kick-off. In this article, we examine the top contenders for the Africa Cup of Nations and share betting tips on how best you can win big during the competition with the best online sports betting site in Nigeria, BetKing. **Senegal:** The current holders will be out to defend their crown at AFCON 2024. The Teranga Lions are led by two-time African footballer of the year, Sadio Mane, alongside other experienced players like Everton’s Idrissa Gueye, Pape Sarr of Tottenham, Nikolas Jackson of Chelsea, the ageing Kalidou Koulibaly and the new young African player of the year, Lamine Camara of Metz. Senegal Head Coach, [Aliou Cisse, who has been profiled as one of the best coaches at the tournament,](https://m.betking.com/blog/news/touchline-titans-afcon-2024-s-top-5-coaches/) has extensive experience in leading his charges to tournaments. Since taking over the Senegalese team in 2015, he has guided the Teranga Lions to four AFCON competitions and two World Cups. He has amassed a [54%-win percentage in 71 games](https://footystats.org/managers/senegal/aliou-cisse) and his mass defence-mass attack 4-2-3-1 style has been the key to his success with Senegal. The AFCON hasn’t witnessed a successful title defense since Egypt did it twice in 2010. Having finished top of their qualifying group with 14 points from a possible 18, you can get the best odds for Aliou Cisse and his players to become the first nation to successfully defend their title since 2010. Senegal is in Group C alongside Cameroon, Guinea, and the Gambia.
**Morocco:** The Atlas Lions head into the 2023 AFCON as the highest ranked African nation according to FIFA. They were also recently named [CAF’s national team of the year,](https://twitter.com/CAF_Online/status/1734286866579357864) following their record-breaking semifinal appearance at the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup. The Moroccan team boasts several world class-players such as CAF’s goalkeeper of year, Yassine Bounou and two members of the CAF FIFPro’s team of the year in Achraf Hakimi of PSG and Sofyan Amrabat of Manchester United. Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri are also players who can change a game at any time. Since their 1976 triumph, the Morocco’s best finish was at AFCON 2004 where they lost 2-1 in the final against Tunisia. This year, they have a legitimate chance to win it all and will be aiming to do just that. They qualified from Group K with 9 points from 4 games to qualify for their 18th AFCON campaign and have been seeded in Group F alongside DR Congo, Zambia, and Tanzania This golden generation of Morocco players will now look to follow up their brilliant World Cup run with AFCON glory in Ivory Coast. And as usual, Nigeria’s most trusted online sports betting platform, [BetKing](https://m.betking.com/sports/football/competitions?ic_source=internal&ic_medium=quicklinks&ic_campaign=sportsoccer) offers you the best odds on Morocco to go all the way in Ivory Coast.
**Egypt:** Egypt is currently ranked #5 in Africa by FIFA. Led by two-time African player of the year, Mohamed Salah, Egypt will look to correct the mistakes of 2017 and 2021. On those two occasions, they narrowly missed out on AFCON glory, falling short to Cameroon 2-1, and losing 4-2 to Senegal on penalties two years ago. The Pharaohs remain the most successful team in the competition with 7 titles and are the only team in the competition’s history to win the championship three consecutive times during their golden era (2006-2010). Egypt finished top of their group with 15 points, dropping just 3 points in 6 games with 10 goals scored in the process and 1 conceded. Now, the search for their eighth crown leads them to Ivory Coast where they will look to first qualify from a Group B containing Ghana, Cape Verde, and Mozambique. Do you think Salah and co have what it takes to challenge for the AFCON crown?
**Algeria:** The Desert Foxes conquered Africa in 2019 to claim their second title after overcoming Senegal 1-0 in the AFCON final. Led by captain, Riyad Mahrez in January’s tournament, they are in contention to conquer the continent once again. Heading into the AFCON 2024, Algeria finished as the best team in the qualifiers after amassing the most points (16) and dropping only two points from a possible 18. Head coach, Djamel Belmadi will once again rely on the experience of the core that won the 2019 edition. As a result, Mahrez, Islam Slimani, Bounedjah, Sofiane Feghouli and Ramy Bensebaini will be the obvious dangermen. The emergence of Fares Chaibi, who is profiled in our [“rising stars” post,](https://m.betking.com/blog/news/afcon-2024-5-rising-stars-poised-to-dominate-africa-and-capture-the-global-spotlight-1/) could also be key for Algeria. The Eintracht Frankfurt playmaker has that “special something” and if he can deliver at AFCON, Algeria’s opponents will be in a lot of trouble. Belmadi has only lost 7 of the 74 games he’s overseen as Algerian national team manager, recording 17 draws and 50 wins in the process. Algeria’s 10-match unbeaten run means they’re one of the favorites to win the whole thing. And Group D, where they will face Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Angola, seems to be an easy start for them. What do you think?
**Nigeria:** Despite the current dysfunction of the Super Eagles, they’re still contenders due to a frighteningly lethal collection of strikers that rivals any in world football. The likes of Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Kelechi Iheanacho, Terem Moffi, Ademola Lookman, Taiwo Awoniyi and precocious talent, Gift Orban are all proven in European football and will not be a welcome sight for any defence at the tournament. However, the three-time African champions have a big problem in goal as the jury is still out on which goalkeeper team coach, Jose Peseiro will pick between error-prone duo, Francis Uzoho & Maduka Okoye. Furthermore, there’s a feeling that “too many cooks can spoil the broth” as Nigeria’s talented attack could pose more problems than solutions for a coach like the underwhelming Peseiro. A first AFCON title win since 2013 would be a dream come true for millions of Nigerians as it would restore an element of national pride, especially since the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. So, what do you think? Can the Super Eagles fly to victory on the wings of Osimhen and co?
**Ivory coast:** Automatic qualification is one of the perks of being the host nation and Ivory Coast, currently ranked 8th in Africa, had no hassles in qualifying for AFCON 2024. Another perk of being host nation is a vociferous home support that can act as a very effective “12th man”. When you also factor in the sheer talent present in this Ivory Coast side, you begin to understand why many see them as a legitimate option to win AFCON 2024 despite the failure of any host nation to win AFCON since 2006. Head Coach, Jean-Louis Gasset will rely on the vast experience of Max Gradel who has played in 6 AFCON competitions, amassing 104 caps across all competitions, the might of Franck Kessie in midfield and the trickery + goal scoring nous of Wilfred Zaha and Sabastien Haller up front. Since winning AFCON 2015 for just the second time in their history, the Elephants have not gone beyond the quarter finals. Despite being grouped with Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, the home team and fans will be confident of advancing to the knockout rounds. Any worry ahead of January will lie in the fact that despite a generally strong performance in the qualifiers, two unexpected results cast a shadow on the team's journey to the AFCON finals: a goalless draw in Comoros and a 3-0 loss away against Zambia.
AFCON 2024 is scheduled for 13th of January – 11th February 2024 and BetKing has got lots of exciting promos, offers and of course, the usual high odds and bonuses for bettors on AFCON 2024 games. [Sign up for a BetKing account today](https://m.betking.com/account/registration) to get started!