The 2024 AFCON is nearing its end, and it’s been an exciting tournament so far. The world has seen African football at its best, with many upsets causing the supposed big teams to falter, some even in the group stage. Imagine an AFCON semi-final tie without the likes of Egypt, Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, or the almighty Morocco.
Two teams have confirmed their spot in the competition’s final, with fans getting a replay of the 2013 AFCON final all over again. Nigeria faces the host country Cote d’Ivoire in the final, but when will the final be played? Learn more details about the final, including time, venue, and payouts for the top prize in the coveted competition.
2024 AFCON Final: Date, time, venue
The teams that will be playing in the 2024 AFCON final confirmed their spots yesterday, with Nigeria beating South Africa on penalties to reach the final seven times in their history, with Egypt being the only team to have won it more than the Super Eagles.
The final will be held on Saturday, February 11, at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in the city of Abidjan, the capital of Cote d’Ivoire. The stadium is by far the largest in the country, with a capacity of 60,000, big enough to conveniently host a game as important as this.
The game kicks off at 8 p.m. GMT as both teams fight for the trophy of their lives. The competition has garnered so much attention, with many praising the competitiveness, quality of play, and decisive refereeing decisions, including the straightforward VAR calls.
AFCON finalists, H2H record
Nigeria will face the host country Cote d’Ivoire in the final of this year’s African Cup of Nations. The Super Eagles of Nigeria remain unbeaten in the competition and have only conceded two goals in regular time in the entire six games they’ve played in the tournament so far. The first goal came in their first group-stage game against Equatorial Guinea in a 1-1 draw.
They’ve gone four consecutive games without conceding a goal as they breezed past Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, and Angola to reach the semi-final of the 2024 AFCON, where they beat South Africa on penalties.
Cote d’Ivoire, on the other hand, couldn’t have imagined qualifying for the knockout rounds of the tournament after losing two of their three group-stage games, including a 4-0 thrashing to Equatorial Guinea.
Both teams are equally strong in head-to-head records, with each team having nine wins in their 28 games played against each other. Ten of those games have also ended in a draw, and Nigeria won the last clash in the group stage of this tournament.
Victor Osimhen, the Nigerian superstar striker who was initially doubtful for the semifinal due to an injury, will be a major threat to the Ivorian defense with his pace, pressing, and shooting ability in the 2024 AFCON final.
How much prize money will AFCON winners get?
Competitions aren’t always about the trophy, money is also a major factor, especially with continental tournaments, and the 2024 AFCON is no exception. According to GOAL, CAF has set aside a prize pool of $14.8 million for the entire tournament, which means more money for the ones who make it into the latter stages of the tournament.
The winner will take home a whopping $7 million, which is significantly more than what the 2019 winner got, which was $5 million. The runner-up will get prize money of $4 million. Losing semi-finalists will take home $2.5 million, while losing quarterfinalists will get $1.3 million.
