The countries of the forthcoming African Cup of Nations have begun to arrive in Ivory Coast ahead of the 34th edition of the biennial African association football tournament.
Among the first nations to touch down at the Félix Houphouët Boigny International Airport in Abidjan were the Atlas Lions of Morocco and the Djurtus of Guinea Bissau, who both arrived on Sunday, January 7, 2024.
Morocco, who is seen as one of the favorites for the competition, became the first side to arrive in Cote d’Ivoire when the plane carrying the team landed at 2:00 pm local time amid an impressive cultural ceremony arranged by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the AFCON.
The 1976 winners and Quarter-finalists at the last edition in Cameroun, headed straight to the city of San Pedro where they will be based for their Group F matches against DR Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Tanzania, who will be making their 3rd appearance at the AFCON, will be the only team to arrive on Monday, January 8. The Taifa Stars are scheduled to arrive at the Félix Houphouët Boigny International Airport in Abidjan at midday from Dar es Salaam.
Defending Champions, Senegal will follow suit by arriving at the tournament on Tuesday, January 9, to begin their title defense after their success in Cameron two years ago. The Teranga Lions will head straight to the city of Yamoussoukro where they will be based for their group C matches against the scorpions of Gambia, five-time champions Cameroon, and 1976 runners-up Guinea.
Also arriving on the same day at the prestigious AFCON tournament will be record seven-time winners, Egypt, as well as the Mambas of Mozambique, who are scheduled to at 8 p.m. and 5 p.m. local time, respectively.
The Gambian delegation is scheduled to arrive in Abidjan on Wednesday, January 10, 2023, in the order of arrangement with the CAF program.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is expected to release further updates on the arrival schedules of the other participating teams