The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Ivory Coast from January 13.
The tournament was originally intended to be held last summer to reduce scheduling conflicts with European leagues, but was pushed back due to concerns about the summer weather conditions in Ivory Coast. The West and Central African tropical rainy season typically reaches its peak around June or July.
In January, temperatures tend to be in the high 20s, which will be music to the ears of the 24 teams ready to battle it out for continental supremacy.
What is it?
The 2023 Afcon will be the 34th edition of the biennial tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football. It will be hosted by Ivory Coast for the second time and the first since 1984. Senegal are the defending champions. The tournament mascot is Akwaba (meaning "welcome" in Baoule), a footballing elephant. The match ball, designed by Puma, is called Pokou, after Laurent Pokou, the Ivorian striker who scored five goals in one game at the 1970 tournament.
When is it?
The tournament takes place in Ivory Coast from January 13-February 11.
Which venues will be used?
Six stadiums will be used to host the 52 matches. Two in Abidjan, one each in Bouake, Korhogo, San Pedro and Yamoussoukro.
Alassane Ouattara Stadium (Abidjan) - 60,000 capacity
Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium (Abidjan) - 33,000
Stade de la Paix (Bouake) - 40,000
Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium (Korhogo) - 20,000
Laurent Pokou Stadium (San Pedro) - 20,000
Charles Konan Banny Stadium (Yamoussoukro) - 20,000
How many teams?
A total of 24 teams will take part, with no debutant nation for the first time since the 2015 edition; 17 teams that participated in the most recent edition in 2021 are set to return for the event.
The teams taking part are:
Ivory Coast
Morocco
Algeria
South Africa
Senegal
Burkina Faso
Tunisia
Egypt
Zambia
Equatorial Guinea
Nigeria
Guinea-Bissau
Cape Verde
Mali
Guinea
Ghana
Angola
Tanzania
Mozambique
DR Congo
Mauritania
Gambia
Cameroon
Namibia
Five players to watch
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool's "Egyptian King" arrives at the tournament in his best form for quite some time. Having helped fire the Reds to the top of the Premier League table, he put an exclamation point on the first half of his season with a virtuoso display in the 4-2 win over Newcastle. With Salah in this form, Egypt will be hopeful of going deep into the tournament.
Mohammed Kudus
West Ham's midfield entertainer heads to the tournament with Ghana having lit up the Premier League in recent months. Having initially struggled for game time after his move from Ajax, he has established himself as a key man at the London Stadium with his good form lifting the Hammers into the top six and into the knockout stages of the Europa League.
Serhou Guirassy
The 27-year-old Guinea striker is in high demand having enjoyed a terrific start to the season in the Bundesliga with Stuttgart. Guirassy has 19 goals in 16 games across competitions, helping his club mount a challenge for the Champions League places. That form has alerted a host of Premier League clubs.
Victor Boniface
Another African striker flourishing in the Bundesliga. The 22-year-old has fired Bayer Leverkusen to the top of the table and into the last 16 of the Europa League with an astonishing 16 goals and eight assists in 23 games this season. He will form a formidable attacking trident with Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman for Nigeria.
Wilfried Singo
Hosts Ivory Coast might not be as strong as they were in the days of Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure but they have an excellent right full-back in Singo. The former Torino player has been a revelation since his summer move to Monaco and will no doubt be on the radar of some very big clubs if his stellar form continues.
Groups
The 2023 Afcon features six groups of four teams. The top two teams in each group qualify automatically for the last 16 along with the four best third-placed teams.
Group A – Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau
Group B – Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique
Group C – Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia
Group D – Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola
Group E – Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia
Group F – Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania
Matches
All times are UAE (Ivory Coast is four hours behind):
Group Stage
January 13 - Ivory Coast v Guinea-Bissau, midnight
January 14 - Nigeria v Equatorial Guinea, 6pm; Egypt v Mozambique, 9pm; Ghana v Cape Verde, midnight
January 15 - Senegal v Gambia, 6pm; Cameroon v Guinea, 9pm; Algeria v Angola, midnight
January 16 - Burkina Faso v Mauritania, 6pm; Tunisia v Namibia, 9pm; Mali v South Africa, midnight
January 17 - Morocco v Tanzania, 9pm; DR Congo v Zambia, midnight
January 18 - Equatorial Guinea v Guinea-Bissau, 6pm; Ivory Coast v Nigeria, 9pm; Egypt v Ghana, midnight
January 19 - Cape Verde v Mozambique, 6pm; Senegal v Cameroon, 9pm; Guinea v Gambia, midnight
January 20 - Algeria v Burkina Faso, 6pm; Mauritania v Angola, 9pm; Tunisia v Mali, midnight
January 21 - Morocco v DR Congo, 6pm; Zambia v Tanzania, 9pm; South Africa v Namibia, midnight
January 22 - Equatorial Guinea v Ivory Coast, 9pm; Guinea-Bissau v Nigeria, 9pm; Mozambique v Ghana, midnight; Cape Verde v Egypt, midnight
January 23 - Guinea v Senegal, 9pm; Gambia v Cameroon, 9pm; Angola v Burkina Faso, midnight); Mauritania v Algeria, midnight
January 24 - South Africa v Tunisia, 9pm; Namibia v Mali, 9pm; Tanzania v DR Congo, midnight; Zambia v Morocco, midnight
Last-16 stage
January 27 - Runner-up Group A v runner-up Group C; winner Group D v third place Group B/E/F
January 28 - Runner-up Group B v runner-up Group F; winner Group A v third place Group C/D/E
January 29 - Winner Group B v third place Group A/C/D; winner Group C v third place Group A/B/F
January 30 - Winner Group F v runner-up Group E; winner Group E v runner-up Group D
Quarter-finals
February 2 and 3
Semi-finals
February 7
Third-place play-off
February 10
Final
February 11
Prize money
The champions will receive $5 million, with the runner-up getting $3 million. The losing semi-finalists get $2.5 million.
How can I watch the games on TV?
Afcon 2023 matches will be broadcast live in the UAE on beIN Sports. For more information visit www.bein.com.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20OneOrder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tamer%20Amer%20and%20Karim%20Maurice%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cairo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E82%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Series%20A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Match info
Arsenal 0
Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 (Gundogan 56')
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Solomon 69')
If%20you%20go
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20regular%20flights%20from%20Dubai%20to%20Kathmandu.%20Fares%20with%20Air%20Arabia%20and%20flydubai%20start%20at%20Dh1%2C265.%3Cbr%3EIn%20Kathmandu%2C%20rooms%20at%20the%20Oasis%20Kathmandu%20Hotel%20start%20at%20Dh195%20and%20Dh120%20at%20Hotel%20Ganesh%20Himal.%3Cbr%3EThird%20Rock%20Adventures%20offers%20professionally%20run%20group%20and%20individual%20treks%20and%20tours%20using%20highly%20experienced%20guides%20throughout%20Nepal%2C%20Bhutan%20and%20other%20parts%20of%20the%20Himalayas.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More on Quran memorisation:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20750hp%20at%207%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20800Nm%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%207%20Speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20332kph%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012.2L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYear%20end%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh1%2C430%2C000%20(coupe)%3B%20From%20Dh1%2C566%2C000%20(Spider)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS: 2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING - EUROPE
Albania 0 Italy 1
Finland 2 Turkey 2
Macedonia 4 Liechtenstein
Iceland 2 Kosovo 0
Israel 0 Spain 1
Moldova 0 Austria 1
Serbia 1 Georgia 0
Ukraine 0 Croatia 2
Wales 0 Ireland 1
It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
