AFCON: Four interesting facts to know from the Round of 16

The Round of the sixteen stages of the 2023 Africa Cup Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast was concluded on Wednesday night, but the stage ended with some unpredictable results, remarkable stats and records in the history of the tournament.

With much drama, upset and intrigue, the 2023 AFCON is one of the most unpredictable editions of the tournament. Many football fans and pundits have been dazed by the unexpected results of some matches, especially at the Round of 16 and the mass exit of tournament favourites that have been kicked out by underdogs.

All the eight teams that qualified for the quarter-finals at the 2021 AFCON could not go past the Round 16 at the 2023 AFCON.

Here, BusinessDay takes a look at the four facts and talking points from the 2023 AFCONn and 2021 edition of the tournament.

The first quarter-finals of the 2021 AFCON was between Burkina Faso and Tunisia, but Carthage Eagles of Tunisia were eliminated in the Group stages, while the Stallions of Burkina Faso were sent home in the Round 16.

The second quarter-finalists in the 2021 edition, were Senegal and Equatorial Guinea, interestingly, the Terenga Lions were knocked out in the Round 16 stages by Ivory Coast, and Nzalang Nacional were also eliminated in the Round of 16 of this edition.

The third quarter-finals of the 2021 AFCON were between the Gambia and Cameroon, the Scorpions were gone in the group stages and the Indomitable Lions were kicked out of the 2023 AFCON in the Round 16 stage by Nigeria.

The last quarterfinals were two North African sides Egypt and Morocco, the Pharaohs were sent out in the group stages and Morocco kicked out at Round 16.

It’s interesting to note that all the quarterfinalists at the last edition of the AFCON have been eliminated in the Round of 16.