Abidjan, Ivory Coast – As the quarterfinal stage of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off on Friday in Ivory Coast, none of the five teams highest-placed teams in the FIFA ranking of December 2023 will feature.
Reigning champions Senegal, 2022 World Cup semifinalists and pretournament favourites Morocco, 2004 champions Tunisia, two-time champions and 2019 winners Algeria, and seven-time AFCON kings Egypt have all been eliminated. Other top teams like five-time champions Cameroon and four-time winners Ghana, have also exited the competition.
In a tournament which has come to…