The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16, which began on January 27, started the tournament's knockout phase.
Ivory Coast were left facing an anxious wait to see if they would contest the knockout phase, the host nation having been thrashed 4-0 by Equatorial Guinea to leave them in third place in the Group A standings. In the end, they scraped through as one of the best third-place finishers in the opening phase.
Cameroon also reached the knockout phase despite failing to impress during their opening three games, while Egypt scraped through by the skin of their teeth as the injured Mohamed Salah watched on.
Continental heavyweights Ghana, however, headed home early, with head coach Chris Hughton sacked after the Black Stars failed to qualify.
The Sporting News has an updated list on which teams have gone through, and which have been eliminated.
Which teams qualified for AFCON 2023 knockout rounds?
The following teams qualified for the knockout phase of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
| Team | Group |
| Equatorial Guinea | A (1st place) |
| Nigeria | A (2nd place) |
| Ivory Coast | A (3rd place) |
| Cape Verde | B (1st place) |
| Egypt | B (2nd place) |
| Senegal | C (1st place) |
| Cameroon | C (2nd place) |
| Guinea | C (3rd place |
| Angola | D (1st place) |
| Burkina Faso | D (2nd place) |
| Mauritania | D (3rd place) |
| Mali | E (1st place) |
| South Africa | E (2nd place) |
| Namibia | E (3rd place) |
| Morocco | F (1st place) |
| DR Congo | F (2nd place) |
MORE: How the groups look at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
Teams eliminated from AFCON 2023
The following teams know they are now out of the Africa Cup of Nations 2023.
| Team | Stage reached |
| Guinea-Bissau | Group A (4th place, 0 points) |
| Ghana | Group B (3rd place, 2 points) |
| Mozambique | Group B (4th place, 2 points) |
| Gambia | Group C (4th place, 0 points) |
| Algeria | Group D (4th place, 2 points) |
| Tunisia | Group E (4th place, 2 points) |
| Zambia | Group F (3rd place, 2 points) |
| Tanzania | Group F (4th place, 2 points) |
| Namibia | Round of 16 (eliminated by Angola) |
| Cameroon | Round of 16 (eliminated by Nigeria) |
| Guinea | Round of 16 (eliminated by Equatorial Guinea) |
| Egypt | Round of 16 (eliminated by DR Congo) |
| Mauritania | Round of 16 (eliminated by Cape Verde) |
| Senegal | Round of 16 (eliminated by Ivory Coast) |
| Burkina Faso | Round of 16 (eliminated by Mali) |
| Morocco | Round of 16 (eliminated by South Africa) |
| Angola | Quarterfinal (eliminated by Nigeria) |
| Guinea | Quarterfinal (eliminated by DR Congo) |
| Mali | Quarterfinal (eliminated by Ivory Coast) |
| Cape Verde | Quarterfinal (eliminated by South Africa) |
| DR Congo | Semifinal (eliminated by Ivory Coast) |
| South Africa | Semifinal (eliminated by South Africa) |
AFCON 2023 format and rules
There are 24 teams competing in this iteration of the Africa Cup of Nations, split into six groups of four.
With the knockout stages starting with a Round of 16 — and being one-off straight knockout ties — it means that, as well as the top two from each group, four of the best third-placed teams in the groups will also get a knockout spot.
In the event that two teams are locked on the same points, their placing will be determined on:
- Points in the head-to-head match between the two tied teams
- Goal difference in the group
- Goals scored overall in the group
- Drawing of lots.
In the knockout stages, games will go to 30 minutes of extra time and then penalties if the teams cannot be separated. There will also be a third-place playoff between the two losing semifinalists to determine who gets the bronze medal.
AFCON knockout stage schedule and fixtures
Round of 16 fixtures
| Date | Time (ET) | Match |
| January 27 | 12 p.m. | Angola 3-0 Namibia |
| January 27 | 3 p.m. | Nigeria 2-0 Cameroon |
| January 28 | 12 p.m. | Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Guinea |
| January 28 | 3 p.m. | Egypt 1-1 (7-8 P) DR Congo |
| January 29 | 12 p.m. | Cape Verde 1-0 Mauritania |
| January 29 | 3 p.m. | Senegal 1-1 (4-5 P) Ivory Coast |
| January 30 | 12 p.m. | Mali 2-1 Burkina Faso |
| January 30 | 3 p.m. | Morocco 0-2 South Africa |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Match |
| February 2 | Nigeria 1-0 Angola |
| February 2 | DR Congo 3-1 Guinea |
| February 3 | Mali 1-2 Ivory Coast |
| February 3 | Cape Verde 0-0 (1-2 P) South Africa |
Semifinals
| Date | Match |
| February 7 | Nigeria 1-1 (4-2 P) South Africa |
| February 7 | Ivory Coast 1-0 DR Congo |
The third-place playoff, between the two losing semifinalists, will be held on February 10.
Final
The tournament concludes with the final in Abidjan on February 11.
