The 2023 CAF African Cup of Nations has been firing on all cylinders. It has just exited the round-of-16 matches with more upsets to boot, Cameroon and Morocco amongst the teams that bade farewell to the tournament. With the quarter-finals on the horizon, only eight teams remain — host nation Côte d’lvoire, Angola, DR Congo, South Africa, Nigeria, Guinea, Cape Verde and Mali.

The quarter-finals will separate the boys from the men, billed to be another superlative knock-out round with plenty at stake. It’s serious business, and all teams will be looking to learn from past mistakes and present a winning game plan.

Côte d’lvoire is perhaps the most eager to show why they should be victorious. After a turbulent group showing, they now face a dominant Mali side on February 3. Three-time champions Nigeria will square it off with a dogged Angola team. Elsewhere, Cape Verde will continue their winning quest as they take on South Africa. DR Congo and Guinea will likewise compete for a spot in the next round.

AFCON 2023 has turned out to be a captivating experience for fans around the world. The passionate atmosphere across stadium venues, the impressive officiating, the avalanche of internet memes, and the major upsets are some of the moments imbuing it as a spectacular watch.

The final will be held on Feb. 11, 2024, with the winner bagging $7 million in prize money. In the end, what team will emerge as the winner? We took it upon ourselves to ask our readers this question on Instagram and the verdict is in.

Nigeria & South Africa - 25.68%

Granted, West African countries like Nigeria make up a large bloc of our reading audience, but we also like to believe that Nigeria has meant business in AFCON, after a few shaky games at the start.

South Africa also makes up a large bloc of our reading audience. The Rainbow Nation hosted and won the 1996 AFCON title. It’s been a barren journey since then, but the regrouping and awakening force in their current domestic players is igniting hope. They came in second, according to the poll.

DR Congo - 13.51%

DR Congo was responsible for knocking out seven-time champions Egypt in a round-of-16 match. They have an enduring spirit, and maybe they can pull in more surprises that will see them to the finish line as our readers put them in third place.

Cape Verde - 12.16%

Cape Verde’s opening AFCON campaign stunned Ghana in a 2-1 win. They are clearly the dark horse of the tournament, and our readers pitched them in fourth place as title favorites.

Angola - 10.81%

Angola has never won AFCON. Further, their 3-0 win over Namibia in the round-of-16 was emphatic, helping them reach the quarterfinals for the first time in 14 years. They came in fifth place in the poll

Côte d’lvoire - 6.76%

A high point for host nation Côte d’lvoire was beating reigning champions Senegal on penalties in the round-of-16 games. They won the title in 1992 and 2015. Can they do it again? They are in sixth place.

Mali - 5.40%

Mali were AFCON finalists in 1972 when they took on Congo and lost 2-3. It still remains one of their best performances. In this AFCON, they have shown grit and determination in grinding out results, and readers are rooting for them as well. They are in seventh place.

Guinea

Guinea scored the lowest in the polls. They emerged as a runner-up to Morocco in the 1976 AFCON tournament, and while it seems like eons ago, they have looked thoroughly determined in a number of games in AFCON 2023 so far and shouldn’t be written off just yet.