The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that four of the biggest football superstars from Africa, both current and former, will serve as Draw Assistants for the Final Draw of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023.
The quartet includes Didier Drogba, Mikel Obi, Sadio Mane, and Achraf Hakimi, all of whom are well-known names in football and have left an indelible mark on the sport.
The Crux News reports that the Final Draw will take place on Thursday, October 12, at the Parc des Expositions venue in Abidjan, which is a brand-new, breathtaking location.
It will mark the start of the build-up to the 34th edition of the biggest event on African soil.
The draw will commence at 7:00 pm local time/GMT (9:00 pm CAT, 10:00 pm Cairo) and will be streamed live on CAF TV’s YouTube channel.
With over 50 countries set to broadcast the Final Draw, millions of viewers worldwide are expected to tune in to witness the event on CAF’s Official YouTube channel and across CAF’s Global TV partners.
The presence of Ivorian icon Didier Drogba, Cote d’Ivoire’s all-time top goal scorer with 65 goals in 105 internationals, including the country’s first-ever goal in the FIFA World Cup in 2006, is sure to add to the excitement.
Drogba has scored 11 goals in 24 AFCON games for the Elephants and helped Cote d’Ivoire to two AFCON cup finals in 2006 and 2012.
Another big name in football, Mikel Obi, a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner with Nigeria and three-time AFCON bronze medallist with the Super Eagles, will grace the occasion.
The two-time CAF African Player of the Year, Sadio Mane, who scored the winning penalty as Senegal won their first TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations title in Cameroon in 2021, is also set to feature in the Final Draw stage in Abidjan.
Mane is Senegal’s all-time leading sAcorer with 38 international goals and has scored eight goals in 18 AFCON games for the Teranga Lions.
Adding to the star-studded list of Draw Assistants is Paris Saint Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi, who played for the Morocco team that made a historic run to the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-final and adds North African star quality to the lineup.
The much-anticipated Final Draw is expected to attract delegations, coaches, CAF legends, international media, CAF commercial partners, showbiz celebrities, and African leaders from each of the 24 participating nations.
It will kick-start the final stretch to what is shaping up to be the best AFCON ever.
The Qualified Nations for the Final Draw include Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo DR, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Zambia.
