Sports Correspondent

Several teams have already confirmed their berths in the 2023 AFCON Round of 16, with the upcoming round scheduled to commence on Saturday after a brief two-day hiatus.

In Group A, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria emerged as group winners and runners-up, respectively.

Hosts Ivory Coast, finishing third in Group A, face a challenging path to advancing after a 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea.

The Elephants now await the possibility of progressing as one of the best-placed second runners-up.

Group B witnessed Cape Verde claiming the top spot, with Egypt also advancing to the next stage. Ghana holds a slim chance of qualifying as one of the third-place finishers.

Defending champions Senegal have secured their spot in the Round of 16 from Group C.The group stage is set to conclude on Wednesday, paving the way for the Round of 16 to kick off on Saturday.

2023 AFCON Round of 16 Fixtures:27 January:Nigeria vs Runner-up Group CWinner Group D vs 3rd Group B/E/F28 January:Egypt vs Runner-up Group FEquatorial Guinea vs 3rd Group C/D/E29 January:Cape Verde vs 3rd Group A/C/DWinner Group C vs 3rd Group A/B/F30 January:Winner Group E vs Runner-up Group DWinner Group F vs Runner-up Group E