The delayed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) gets underway today and there’s a Fantasy game to go with it.
It’s free to play and run by RealFevr, with the rules being very similar to Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
We’ve put together a ‘How to enter and play AFCON Fantasy 2023 ‘ guide to help you find your feet, with all the relevant details you’ll need to get started.
Having previously looked at the top AFCON assets by position, Fantasy Football Scout user TheFPLManual offers tips on how to build a team and reveals his own draft.
TARGET TOP SCORERS FROM EACH NATION
- Victor Osimhen was the standout goal scorer during the qualifiers. The 2023 CAF Best Player is set to make it count again for Nigeria.
- Sadio Mane, Patson Daka and Youssef Msakni were top scorers for their respective nations.
TARGET PLAYERS FROM THE HOST NATION
- At AFCON 2021, the host nation Cameroon finished third and provided the top scorer, Vincent Aboubakar.
- Aboubakar and Karl Toko Ekambi contributed 11 goals combined.
- Based on history, it is fair to presume the host nation hungers more to win it some other entrants.
- Sébastien Haller (when fit), Franck Kessie and Ibrahim Sangare are among the top options to consider for 2023 host nation Ivory Coast.
pAY ATTENTION TO THE BONUS POINTS ON OFFER
- 1 Point for every 5 CBIs: Take advantage of clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBIs) to garner extra points. Defensive midfielders and defenders are a good source of these.
- 1 Point for every 5 duels won: Consider players who thrive at aerial and ground duels. Again, more defensive-minded players will supply these.
- 1 Points for 2 key passes: Assets, such as creative midfielders, full-backs and set-piece takers, who create chances can quickly gain additional points.
OTHER FACTORS TO CONSIDER
- Western Africa is usually hot and dry during this period, so fixtures held in the afternoon could end in a goalless draw.
- Stretch your selection of players across each day (ie. Saturday to Thursday) within a Matchday.
- With the change in rules, try to pick your major XI around your budget and get starting cheap players on the bench in case of possible rotation.
MY AFCON FANTASY TEAM DRAFT
- The aim is to target top-ranked nations – this includes the likes of Egypt, Morocco etc.
- The plan is to play the Wildcard chip in Matchday 3 when the rotation becomes rampant.
- Eyes on Algerian forwards: Mohamed Amoura will return from suspension by Matchday 2.
- Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are key players thanks to being the top goalscorers and penalty takers for their nations.
- Captaincy goes to Salah and vice-captaincy to Youssef En-Nesyri, who is playing on the last day of
Matchday 1.
