The Africa Cup of Nations enters the most interesting but exciting stage, the last 16. But which are some of the teams that have shown they can go all the way? Here are the AFCON winners outright. Bet on AFCON here.
Egypt – 3.95
There is always going to be plenty of expectation on the shoulders of the hosts, but that gets magnified further when they look to be one of the best contenders to run away with the top prize. With Mohamed Salah, the Egyptians will certainly be dubbed as favourites. They had a phenomenal group stage campaign where they won all their matches and will look to make it four in a row when they play South Africa in the last 16. Last time they hosted the event, in 1986 and 2006, they went on to win it so this year they just might replicate the same.
Senegal – 5.25
On paper, the Lions of Teranga have the best squad. They’ve won two matches and lost one to Algeria. Oddly enough, it’s still a mystery that they have never won the tournament. They finished as runners-up in 2002 and haven’t got closer since. Algeria showed that the West African giants can be beaten. However, with the experience of Coach Aliou Cisse, the Senegalese can beat anyone. Moreover, they were the best performing African side at the World Cup and missed out on knockout qualification only due to their inferior disciplinary record compared to Japan. This time, they look the business.
Algeria – 7.75
Algeria, just like Senegal have one of the best squads in the tournament. They’re a balanced squad, brimming with an exciting attacking group of players. Given their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, they have a point to prove. They’ve already navigated their group winning all their three matches with the real test now ahead. Riyad Mahrez and company are capable of challenging for the trophy.
Morocco -7.75
Morocco had a fine World Cup campaign considering the group they were in. therefore, it’s obvious to put them as favourites. The Atlas Lions are expected to go all the way and look like the ones to beat. They boast a star-studded squad and have a manager at the helm who has been there and done it all before. Twice. Coach Herve Renard has won the tournament with Zambia in 2012 and Ivory Coast 2015. The Frenchman has demonstrated that he knows how to navigate the murky waters of African football and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he takes Morocco all the way.
Ivory Coast -10
Just like Algeria, Ivory Coast failed to qualify for the World Cup given their pedigree. A new golden generation is coming together in the team led by Nicholas Pepe, Michael Seri and Franck Kessié and it looks like one to compete at the top level. With that being said this is a very inexperienced group without an identifiable leader in their midst including Coach Ibrahim Kamara who hasn’t led any team to this level of competition. Still, that might not matter if their best players turn up in every game. Although they’re inexperienced, they are still a very competitive team who have the ability to win the tournament.