This edition of the tournament, branded as the 2023 AFCON, was supposed to be the third to place in the Northern Hemisphere summer since the 2019 edition to reduce scheduling conflicts with European club teams and competitions.

But in July last year the Confederation of African Football (CAF) postponed this edition due to fears that it would be too wet in Ivory Coast at that time of the year.

CAF have now announced that the tournament will start on January 13 next year and conclude with the final on February 11. 

European clubs have regularly expressed their unhappiness with the timing of AFCON, as the competition takes place during the beginning of the calendar year every two years, which has had major impact on performances of teams as they miss key members of the squad.

Many of the elite African players who play for European clubs will have to decide between representing their country or staying with their squads in a period where league competition have a hectic schedule.

So far, Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia, and Burkina Faso have qualified to join current champions Senegal and hosts Ivory Coast.

The 24 teams that will compete will be fully revealed later this year as qualifiers will take place in June and September.

Ivory Coast will be hosting the tournament for the first time since 1984, as the nation looks to win their first title since 2015.