The Africa Cup of Nations is back in 2024 as Senegal look to defend their title, having won it for the first time in their history back in 2022 beating Egypt on penalties in a nail-biting final.
The tournament will be hosted by Ivory Coast for the first time in 40 years and was originally intended to take place in the summer to avoid conflicts with European club competitions, but was postponed due to the adverse summer weather conditions.
That is why you may see this tournament referred to as AFCON 2023 in some places, but we will be sticking to 2024 throughout to make things easier for you.
Read on for our full Africa Cup of Nations betting guide to find out our thoughts and views, including some tips and latest betting odds and don’t forget to check out the best AFCON betting offers, tips and free bets from the top UK bookmakers.
Africa Cup of Nations betting tips
Throughout the Africa Cup of Nations we will be providing our usual betting tips and a selection of the best betting offers on the market, so that you can enhance your typical matchday experience by having a flutter on the games.
We will keep this page up to date with the latest fixtures, statistics, key dates and daily previews of every game when the tournament gets under way on January 13.
Our team of betting tipsters already provide daily tips on markets such as BTTS, Bet Builder of the Day, Acca of the Day and Anytime Goalscorer Acca of the Day and that will be no different during AFCON, and all of these pages can be found on our Football Betting Tips page.
Daily Africa Cup of Nations betting tips - Sunday 11 February
Nigeria vs Ivory Coast- 9/2
- Côte d’Ivoire to lift the trophy - 19/20
- Draw after 90 minutes - 15/8
- Under 2.5 goals - 2/5
When these two teams clashed at the same venue in the group phase just 24 days ago, William Troost-Ekong’s penalty the only goal of the evening, few were expecting the duo to meet again in the final, but here we are.
Both have enjoyed memorable and chaotic routes to this final, so who will add another Africa Cup of Nations trophy to their cabinet?
Should Côte d’Ivoire prevail in this final it would, in the eyes of many, be the most remarkable triumph any team has enjoyed at a major tournament, up there with Greece at Euro 2004 and Zambia at AFCON 2012.
Following their final group phase fixture, an embarrassing 4-0 hammering at the hands of Equatorial Guinea, the hosts believed they were out, so much so that manager Jean-Louis Gasset was sacked.
However, it transpired that their tally of three points, with a -3 goal difference, was enough to sneak through, following Ghana’s collapse against Mozambique and Morocco’s win over Zambia in subsequent days.
So, les Éléphants were given an unlikely reprieve, as the fourth best-ranked third-place finisher, but this would see them take on defending champions Senegal in Yamoussoukro.
Now led by rookie interim boss Emerse Faé, Ivory Coast went 1-0 down against Senegal after a mere four minutes, only for Franck Kessié to convert a spot-kick right at the death, forcing penalties.
All five Ivorian players converted from 12 yards as they overcame the holders, but this is nothing compared to their victory over Mali in the quarter-finals in Bouaké.
Once again, the hosts were dead and buried, seeing Odilon Kossounou sent off in the first half, before Mali broke the deadlock spectacularly from long-range with 20 minutes to play.
Well, Simon Adingra fired home an equaliser in injury time, forcing yet more extra time, before Oumar Diakité's back-heal flick in the 121st minute snatched victory, shown a second yellow card for his celebration.
This has earned the team the nickname ‘les Revenants’, the zombies, due to the fact they’re impossible to kill.
Compared to all of that, Ivory Coast’s semi-final victory over DR Congo was rather mundane, with Sébastien Haller’s volley, that was unorthodox to say the least, seeing them claim a 1-0 victory.
So, this will be les Éléphants’ fifth appearance in the final, the first hosts to get there in 18 years, believing they are now destine to pick up a third AFCON title, adding to their triumphs of 1992 and 2015.
Fierce rivals Nigeria meanwhile are preparing for an eighth final, hoisting aloft the trophy in 1980, 1994 and 2013, although they were defeated in the only previous final held in Abidjan, this coming four decades ago.
Of course, Ivory Coast do have home advantage but, based on what both have produced throughout this tournament, Nigeria should be favourites, not least winning when the pair met three and a half weeks ago.
The Super Eagles went over 500 minutes without conceding a goal, overcoming Cameroon 2-0 and Angola 1-0 in the early knockout rounds, with Ademola Lookman the scorer of all three of these goals.
The drama was very much reserved for their semi-final clash with South Africa on Wednesday, in which Troost-Ekong converted a penalty mid-way through the second half at Stade de la Paix.
Then, right at the death, Victor Osimhen believed he’d rubber stamped a 2-0 victory, only for VAR to spot a foul in the build-up, with Amin Omar not only disallowing the goal, but awarding Bafana Bafana a penalty.
This was converted, with the scoreline thereby swinging from 2-0 to 1-1 in the blink of an eye and, at this point, José Peseiro’s team were out on their feet, clinging on for a shootout which did come.
Ola Aina did blast his effort miles over the bar, but Terem Moffi, Kenneth Omeruo, Troost-Ekong again and Kelechi Ịheanachọ all held their nerve, while Stanley Nwabili made two saves, sparking wild celebrations.
So, after a tournament full of upsets, we’re left with two juggernauts slogging it out for the trophy.
It really has been a thrilling edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, but which side will be celebrating glory at Stade Alassane Ouattara?
Africa Cup of Nations double of the day
Côte d'Ivoire to lift the trophy and under 2.5 goals
Nigeria vs Côte d'Ivoire
DR Congo to finish third and under 2.5 goals
South Africa vs DR Congo
At 8/1, a £10 bet would return £91
Africa Cup of Nations double of the day- Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 February
Latest Africa Cup of Nations statistics, betting odds and fixtures
Latest Africa Cup of Nations betting offers and free bets
How do I claim Africa Cup of Nations free bets?
What happens when every major football tournament comes round is the bookies will take their time before releasing a new selection of sign-up offers or betting promotions in time for the start of the tournament.
Their specials might focus on specific goalscorers such as Mo Salah or Sadio Mane, or other markets like acca insurances or individual match promotions.
Where we come in is providing them all in one place for you to access the best on the market ahead of the tournament, and save you from having to go through each individual bookmaker just to see what they have.
A lot of our offers will be new customer sign-ups, where you will need to sign up for a new account and place a ‘qualifying bet’, or in some cases you may be required to enter a promo code but everything you need can be found right here.
Keep your eyes peeled for the special promotions too. We currently have promotions like ‘2 Goals Ahead Early Payout’ from bet365 or ‘Bore Draw Money Back’ so either check these out or watch out for new deals specifically for AFCON.
What are the best Africa Cup of Nations betting offers?
The most common world cup sign up offer is known as ‘Bet and Get’, which usually involves placing a qualifying bet in order to unlock your free bets. For example, in order to get a £20 free bet, you will need to deposit and stake £10 at odds of 1/2 or greater.
Another type of promotion is the enhanced odds, which offer punters better odds on a sports event than is typically available, so 1/2 odds become 20/1. The very best enhanced odds offers for AFCON will appear here on this page during the tournament.
The new customers will indeed be able to benefit from several offers before or during AFCON, but this doesn’t mean that the existing customers are neglected.
Many bookmakers will run loyalty programmes and weekly free bets clubs, which will provide their customers with free bets on a weekly or even daily basis and some will have some special betting offers for the AFCON final!
Tips and Team Profiles
For a breakdown of each team by group and tips on each side, click below to see what our expert team of tipsters are predicting ahead of AFCON.
Africa Cup of Nations Pre-Tournament Outright Odds
Senegal - 6/1
The 2021 winners are favourites to lift the title once again, with a vast array of talent at their disposal.
With players such as Nicolas Jackson, Sadio Mane, Idrissa Gueye and Kalidou Koilibaly all among those that performed well at the 2022 World Cup, Senegal will be full of confidence that they have the players capable of more success.
Algeria - 13/2
The 2019 winners put up a miserable defence of their title last time out in 2021, finishing bottom of their group without a win to their name, but they are among the favourites this time round and it is easy to see why.
Players such as Houssem Aouar, Amine Gouiri, Riyad Mahrez and Ramy Bensebaini will be expected to make an impact for the Desert Warriors and they appear to have a favourable draw in the group stages. They will be a team to watch for sure.
Ivory Coast - 7/1
The hosts famously under-delivered during their ‘golden generation’ of around a decade ago, lifting the AFCON title in 2015 failing to make it past the quarter-finals at any other tournament since 2012.
However there is hope that the likes of Sebastien Haller, Ibrahim Sangare, Franck Kessie and Serge Aurier can be part of a new generation that can go on to do better things, and a home tournament is the ideal place to start.
Morocco - 7/1
The feel-good story of the 2022 World Cup was undoubtedly Morocco, finishing fourth after losing to France in the semi-finals.
Players like Hakim Ziyech, Sofyan Amrabat, Nayef Aguerd, Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui all play for leading clubs in Europe and have already shown that they can play together as a team, making them a good candidate what would just be their second AFCON title.
Cameroon - 8/1
Cameroon failed to make it out of the groups at the 2022 World Cup but still provided some entertainment along the way.
Vincent Aboubakar will be hoping to close the gap on Roger Milla in the all-time goalscoring charts - Milla is second to Samuel Eto’o with 43 goals to Aboubakar’s 37 - and Andre Onana has returned to the national set up after being sent home from the World Cup.
As ever with Cameroon there are plenty of talented players available, but winning the tournament could be a step too far.
Africa Cup of Nations 2024 key dates
Group stage - January 13th - January 24th
Round of 16 - January 27th - January 30th
Quarter-finals - January 2nd - January 3rd
Semi-finals - February 7th
Third-place play-off - February 10th
AFCON Final - February 11th
Previous Africa Cup of Nations winners
2021: Senegal
2019: Algeria
2017: Cameroon
2015: Ivory Coast
2013: Nigeria
2012: Zambia
2010: Egypt
2008: Egypt
2006: Egypt
2004: Tunisia
When does the Africa Cup of Nations begin?
The Africa Cup of Nations begins on January 13, when hosts Ivory Coast take on Guinea-Bissau.
Who is the favourite to win the Africa Cup of Nations?
Senegal are the pre-tournament favourites to win the Africa Cup of Nations
What are the best Africa Cup of Nations betting offers?
There are several types of Africa Cup of Nations betting offers, but the most common one is 'Bet and Get'. You can be awarded a specific amount of free bets by only depositing a qualifying bet of £10. The enhanced odds are also a good choice, as these boosted prices will help you maximise the amount of money you can make. Bet Builders have also become very popular over the past few years and are a great bet for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Where can I bet on the Africa Cup of Nations?
bet365 are well-known for their competitive odds and multitude of betting markets available for its customers. In addition, punters can enjoy the Bet365's 2 goals ahead early payout offer, which will pay the winners if their team went 2-0 ahead at any point in the game.
Paddy Power and Betfair are usually offering a lot of odds boosts and bet builder promotions to their customers. They also provide Acca Insurance offers, meaning that if one selection in your Acca lets you down, then you will be refunded your whole stake as cash.
888 Sport and William Hill are also worthy to be mentioned here due to their plentitude of enhanced odds for the big Africa Cup of Nations matches.
