The Africa Cup of Nations, also known as AFCON, is right around the corner, and fans are excited to see the results of one of the most exciting international tournaments in the world. Football enthusiasts are already making plans for betting, and if you too are interested in wagering on the AFCON, this short guide will give you all the tips that you need.
The Format of the Tournament
The initial stages involve 52 teams which then compete to enter the finals. The teams are split into 12 groups, and in order to qualify, they need to be in the top two spots of their group. Therefore, only 24 teams get to take part in the finals, while the hosts are automatically eligible to play. Current AFCON qualifiers are Morocco, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Zambia, Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, and Mali. In the finals, there will be six groups consisting of four nations, and they will play with each other in three matches. The two top teams from each group and the four third-place contestants with the highest record will progress to the first knockout stage.Â
Top Betting Tips
Let’s go over some of the best betting tips that can help you enhance your AFCON wagering experience:
Learn About the Team’s Form
Getting an insight into the recent form of the teams you’re interested in can help you evaluate their current capabilities. That way, you will have a better chance of predicting their likelihood of winning an upcoming match. Once you spend some time reading the stats and other pieces of information, you will learn how to manipulate the data in order to come up with more intricate bets that yield higher returns.
Know the Tournament Standings
Understanding the actual tournament standings will give you valuable information about each team’s current position in the competitions, as well as their overall performance. Also, looking into the tournament standings will help you spot potential upsets and results that are considered highly unlikely to happen. Basically, lower-ranked teams are often highly motivated to win against opponents with a better ranking, while the higher-ranked ones may decide to take a more relaxed approach and save their efforts for the finals. Finding such opportunities gives you a huge betting advantage.
Stay on Top of Team News
Team news can revolve around all sorts of events, including changes in the coaching staff, player injuries, suspensions, or any other factor that can impact the outcomes of the following matches. By keeping up with the latest team news, you will be able to adjust your predictions based on fresh information that can make or break the success of a particular team. Also, it will help you identify new opportunities for profitable winnings. Bookies put a lot of emphasis on such changes when they decide on the odds listed on their websites, and you should also learn how to use them to your advantage.
Monitor Current Trends
Staying on top of trends is crucial since it will allow you to identify patterns and tendencies when it comes to team and player performances. The key trends include patterns like head-to-head records, home or away wins, goal-scoring frequency, and even weather conditions. Proper analysis of such trends will help you make informed decisions and adjust your previous predictions based on real data. For instance, if a team has a history of scoring lots of goals when playing against a particular opponent, you should take that into consideration if the two are playing against each other in the tournament.Â
See How the Players Stand
Reading about the recent form of the players involved will tell you a lot about their impact on the final result of the games they play. Stats about the current form can reveal each player’s defensive contributions, as well as their scoring and assist rates. Betting on the contributions of individual players is another strategy that can yield high-value results.Â
AFCON is near, and football enthusiasts from Africa and many other parts of the world are excited to start making predictions about their favourite teams. The finals will see 24 countries competing, and now that you’ve explored all the main betting tips, you can begin planning your wagers.
