Gabon hosts the rest of the continent’s football populace for the African Cup of Nations starting Saturday January 14. After a successful draw in October 2016, time is getting close for the show proper. The competition kicks off on January 14 and ends on February 5, 2017.
Africanews takes a look at the four host venues (Libreville, Franceville, Oyem and Port Gentil) as Gabon seeks AFCON glory at home and as Ivory Coast attempts to successfully defend their trophy despite being without the Toure brothers – who retired after 2015 and injured skipper, Yao Gervinho.
The four Stadiums to be used for the tournament are as follows:
VENUE 1: Stade de l’Amitié in Libreville, Gabon
- It hosted the 2012 AFCON final
- Has a capacity of 38,000
- Built by Shanghai Construction Group
- Libreville will host Group A
GROUP A – Libreville
- Gabon
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Guinea Bissau
VENUE 2: Port Gentil Stadium
- Located in the commercial capital, Port Gentil
- Has a capacity of 20,000 seats
- Has a 26-room hotel, athletics track, 2 basketball courts
- Port Gentil will host teams in Group B
GROUP B – Port Gentil
- Algeria
- Tunisia
- Senegal
- Zimbabwe
VENUE 3: Stade de Franceville
- Located in Franceville, Gabon
- Has a capacity of 20,000 seats
- It was opened in January, 2012 for AFCON 2012
- First game was a friendly between Gabon and Sudan
- Franceville will host Group C
GROUP C – Oyem
- Ivory Coast
- DR Congo
- Morocco
- Togo
VENUE 4: Oyem Stadium
- Located in Assok Ngomo, Gabon (15 km from Oyem)
- The stadium has a capacity of 20,000 seats
- It has a 28-room hotel, athletics track,3 tennis courts and 3 basketball courts
- Oyem will host teams in Group D
GROUP D: Oyem
- Ghana
- Mali
- Egypt
- Uganda
SUGGESTED READING Final draw of AFCON 2017 ends in Gabon – All you need to know
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