In January 2024, the African Nations Cup, also known as AFCON, will bring together African superstars in Ivory Coast for its 34th edition.
When players from Europe’s top clubs depart to participate in this prestigious tournament, it often poses a challenge for their respective teams.
West Ham manager David Moyes is already feeling the pressure as he may potentially lose key players such as Mohammed Kudus, Said Benrahma, and Nayef Aguerd. These individuals have played a crucial role in the team’s success throughout the season.
Ghana, Algeria, and Morocco have all secured their spots in the continental competition, which means that Kudus, Benrahma, and Aguerd are likely to be called up to represent their nations. The tournament is scheduled to commence on January 13 and conclude on February 11.
While Moyes acknowledges the significance of international football, he recognizes that the absence of these players for an entire month will undoubtedly have a substantial impact on his team.
“We’ve got Mo Kudus, and we’ve also got Saïd Benrahma from Algeria and Nayef Aguerd from Morocco,” Moyes said in a press conference. “The disappointing bit, and the thing we’ll need to manage, is losing those players for a month during the African Cup of Nations. But that’s part of it.”
The tournament was originally scheduled to be the third edition since 2019 to occur during the summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The purpose of this timing was to minimize scheduling conflicts with European club teams and competitions.
However, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to postpone it to January 13–11, 2024 on 3, 2022. This decision was made due to concerns about adverse summer weather conditions on the Ivory Coast.
Despite the change in timing, the tournament retained its original name for sponsorship purposes. This change follows a similar decision made for the 2021 edition in Cameroon, which was also moved to the winter due to similar reasons. As of now, Senegal holds the title of defending champion.
