The Technical Study Group (TSG) of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled its official best XI for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), and to the surprise of many, Morocco's Atlas Lions are entirely absent. The chosen team features a heavy presence from the competition's finalists: three players from champions Ivory Coast and three from runners-up Nigeria. Two players each represent the third-placed South Africa and the fourth-placed Democratic Republic of Congo, with just one player from Equatorial Guinea rounding out the squad. Unsurprisingly, the Ivorian coach, Emerse Faé, who replaced Jean-Louis Gasset after early setbacks, was named best coach of the tournament. It's worth noting that after the group stage of CAN 2023, four Atlas Lions - Nayef Aguerd, Achraf Hakimi, Sofyan Amrabat, and Azzedine Ounahi - were included in the preliminary best XI. However, Morocco's disappointing exit in the round of 16 against South Africa led to their exclusion from the final selection.
