The 2023 Afcon concludes on Sunday as hosts Ivory Coast face Nigeria in the final.
The teams will meet for the second time at this year’s finals, 24 days after the Ivorians suffered a first-ever home defeat by Nigeria when they won 1-0 in the group stage.
The match starts at 10 pm CAT at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on the outskirts of Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s economic capital.
The Elephants, who are the first host nation to make it to the final since 2006, will be hoping to match the Super Eagles on three titles if they emerge victorious in the final for the first time since 2015.
Kick-off is at 10 pm CAT.
Broadcast Details for Zimbabwe and South Africa
DSTV’s SuperSport TV will show the game live.
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation Television (ZBC) and South African public broadcaster SABC will show the games.
The channels are available to watch in Zimbabwe via DStv – South African accounts and Open View for SABC and DStv Zimbabwe for ZBC.
What the coaches said:
Ivory Coast’ Emerse Faé: “Nigeria have had almost a faultless run. As the competition progressed they gained strength and became more dangerous offensively and more solid defensively. For us it’s the opposite, we gained strength from the match against Senegal in the round of 16. We will try to tire them out and wear them out over 90 minutes.”
Nigeria’s Jose Peseiro: “It’s the final, good atmosphere, with a full stadium. Our players know that it is not easy to win the AFCON and they must put in their best to win. Playing a final is always important. This is my first AFCON. Some were saying it’s been special, and I can attest to that.”
Team News:
Nigeria will welcome back left-back Zaidu Sanusi from an injury that kept him out of action in the previous game.
Ivory Coast’s Odilon Kossounou and Oumar Diakire will be eligible to play after serving their suspension.
Head to Head Stats:
Nigeria and Ivory Coast will be meeting for the eighth time at AFCON with the Super Eagles boasting a better record of three victories to the Ivorians’ two.
The latest meeting saw the Super Eagles record a tense 1-0 win over Ivory Coast in this year’s group stages with William Troost-Ekong scoring the winner from the spot.
Form guide:
Nigeria: W W W W W
Ivory Coast: L L W W W
Prize money:
Champions: $7m
Runners-up: $4m
