First Team

West Ham United at AFCON | All You Need To Know

13th January 2024

While the Premier League is put on ice this weekend, over in Ivory Coast there is plenty of football for fans to get their teeth stuck into, with the hotly-anticipated 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations tournament due to get underway later today.

Two West Ham United stars are set to be involved in the prestigious competition over the next month, with Mohammed Kudus of Ghana and Morocco’s Nayef Aguerd vying for glory for their respective nations.

Read on for all you need to know to keep up to date with all the AFCON action…

Who has been called up?

While hosts Ivory Coast kick off the action against Guinea-Bissau at 8pm GMT tonight, the first game featuring West Ham talent is scheduled for Sunday 14 January, with Kudus hoping to guide four-time winners Ghana to a win against Cape Verde in Group B.

The Irons’ outstanding winger - who joined from Dutch club Ajax in the summer - has enjoyed a brilliant 2023/24 season to date, scoring ten goals in 24 appearances in Claret and Blue, helping his team rise to sixth in the league table and reach the UEFA Europa League round of 16.

Kudus, 23, has accrued 30 caps for the Black Stars since making his first appearance in 2019, and after being part of the squads at both the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and 2022 FIFA World Cup, he was duly among the 27 men called up by boss Chris Hughton for this tournament at the start of this month.

An exciting match-up against Egypt lies in store for Kudus and his teammates in their second game on Thursday 18 January, ahead of a fixture against Mozambique on Monday 22 January.

Aguerd was named in Morocco’s final 27-man squad in late December, ahead of the Atlas Lions’ first outing against Tanzania in Group F on Wednesday 17 January.

The 27-year-old defender has made 21 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers this season, scoring two goals against Chelsea in the Premier League and Freiburg in the Europa League.

On the international stage, he has over 30 caps to his name, having made his debut in August 2016 and helped Morocco win their first African Nations Championship two years later.

Following their tournament opener, Morocco will line up against DR Congo on Sunday 21 January, before their final group clash against Zambia on Wednesday 24 January.

Both the winners and runners-up of each group will secure progression to the knockout stages of AFCON, as well as the four highest-ranked third-placed teams, and both Kudus and Aguerd will be hoping to stay in the mix for as long as possible, with the final scheduled for Sunday 11 February.