Côte d’ivoire becomes the ninth nation to host and win AFCON.

By Osaro Matthew

The host of Africa Cup of Nations 2023, Côte d’Ivoire becomes the 9th country to host and win the prestigious biennial competition after defeating Nigeria in the final, platinumnewsng.com is reporting.

Côte d’Ivoire Elephants defeated the Super Eagles of Nigeria 2-1 with goals coming from Frank Kessie and Sebastien Haller.

Nigeria took the lead in the first half with a header from their defender and skipper, Troost Ekong in the 38th minute. Kessie headed in the equalizer from a corner early in the second half to make it level.

Haller who scored the winning goal in the semi-finals also got the winner with 12 minutes of regular time to go.

With the win, Côte dd’Ivoireequals Nigeria’s record of winning three AFCON trophies and also hosting the tournament twice and winning it as host.

The champions of AFCON 2023 join the likes of Egypt, Ghana, Tunisia, Algeria, South Africa, Sudan and Ethiopia, who have won the tournament as hosts.