By Victor Kanayo
All 24 countries expected to participate at the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations have been mandated to submit their final squad list comprising either 23 or 29 players.
This was disclosed in a press statement by CAF via its website.
Part of the statement reads, “The CAF Organising Committee of the Africa Cup of Nations has announced that the final squads for the Final Tournament will comprise of 27 players, from the initial 23 from previous events.
“The registration of the four additional players on the final list of is only an option and not an obligation.
“The deadline for the submission of the final squads for the tournament is 3 January 2023, exactly ten (10) days to the opening match.
“However, only 23 players will be available for selection for each match during the tournament.
“Also, a player in the final squad can only be replaced after a serious injury no less than 24-hours before the team’s first match following the approval of the medical certificate by the CAF Medical Committee.”
Already, the participating countries have submitted their initial mandatory 55-man squad list.
Confirming the development, “One of the highlights of the countdown to the kickoff of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 is the submission of provisional squads by the 24 Participating Member Associations (PMAs).
“According to the Regulations of the tournament, each Member Association qualified for the final tournament are to submit a provisional list of no more than 55 players no later than 14 December 2023.”
The final tournament will take place between January 13 and February 11, 2024 in the Ivorian cities of Abidjan, Bouake, Korhogo, San Pedro and Yamoussoukro.
