The Africa Cup of Nations 2023 is due to get underway on Saturday evening, with Mohamed Elneny preparing to take part in the tournament.

psv eindhoven v arsenal fc group b uefa champions league 2023 24
EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS: Malik Tillman of PSV Eindhoven is tackled by Mohamed Elneny of Arsenal during the UEFA Champions League match between PSV Eindhoven and Arsenal FC at Philips Stadion on December 12, 2023 in Eindhoven, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

AFCON 2023 was originally scheduled to take place last summer, but adverse weather conditions meant it was delayed until this month, retaining the “2023” tag nonetheless.

The tournament will kick off on Saturday night, as Ivory Coast face Guinea Bissau on January 13th at 20:00 GMT.

Arsenal have one participant at the event, Mohamed Elneny of Egypt, though perhaps a few fans will also be keeping an eye on former Gunner Nicolas Pepe with hosts Ivory Coast.

Nicolas Pepe after signing for Trabzonspor (Photo via Trabzonspor on Twitter)
Nicolas Pepe after signing for Trabzonspor (Photo via Trabzonspor on Twitter)

Egypt are in Group B alongside Ghana, Cape Verde, and Mozambique, playing fixtures as follows (times in GMT):

Latest Arsenal injury updates and news
  • Sunday, 14th January, 17:00 – Egypt vs Mozambique
  • Thursday, 18th January, 20:00 – Egypt vs Ghana
  • Monday, 22nd January, 20:00 – Cape Verde vs Egypt

The top two teams from each group will progress, along with four of the best third-placed finishers from the six groups. That’s a total of 16 teams progressing from the 24-team group stage.

The round-of-16 matches take place from January 27th to January 30th, the quarter-finals take place on February 2nd and 3rd, the semi-finals on February 7th, and the final on February 11th.

There’s also a third-place play-off on February 10th, so progression to the semi-finals guarantees you’ll remain at the tournament at least until then.

Which Arsenal matches will Elneny miss?

Arsenal's Egyptian midfielder #25 Mohamed Elneny and team mates warm up prior to a UEFA Champions League group B football match between PSV Eindhoven and Arsenal FC at the Philips Stadium in Eindhoven, on December 12, 2023. (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny and team mates warm up prior to a UEFA Champions League group B football match between PSV Eindhoven and Arsenal FC at the Philips Stadium in Eindhoven, on December 12, 2023. (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)

The number of Arsenal matches Elneny misses will depend on how far Egypt make it in the tournament.

If Egypt suffer a shock elimination in the group stage, Elneny would only miss the match against Crystal Palace.

If Egypt make it to the round of 16, Elneny will also miss Arsenal’s trip to Nottingham Forest on January 30th.

If Egypt make it to the quarter-final, Elneny will miss Arsenal’s match against Liverpool on February 4th.

If Egypt make it to the semi-final, Elneny will miss Arsenal’s match against West Ham United on February 11th, as Egypt will either be involved in the final or the third-place play-off that weekend.

So at a minimum, Elneny will miss the match against Crystal Palace. But he could end up missing four Arsenal matches if Egypt reach the semi-finals.

Latest Arsenal injury updates and news