Former Black Stars international Stephen Appiah has charged the current team to treat the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with all seriousness ahead of the start of the tournament.

Ghana booked a place for the continental showpiece in September and find themselves in Group B alongside Egypt, Cape Verde and Mozambique.

The Black Stars are hoping to end a 41-year wait to win the competition after the last triumph in 1982 with the next edition set to be staged in Ivory Coast.

I was present at the TotalEnergies House for the unveiling of the AFCON trophy yesterday as it made a stop in Accra.

I spoke to @StephenAppiah on what it means to have the cup here and how big of a motivation it is for the Black Stars. pic.twitter.com/fvFktyKPN1

— Lawrence Baidoo (@kweku_lawrence) November 28, 2023

Appiah, who competed for the trophy on several occasions but failed to win, has urged the current crop of players to play with their all as winning the trophy would mean a lot.

"[The AFCON] is our World Cup so it's very important. Being part of the players that would be selected to go and play in the tournament is very huge," he told Joy Sports.

"For [the players], nobody should tell them how important the AFCON is. So they should go out there and play their hearts out and I am sure something will come out of it."

Appiah was speaking at the AFCON trophy tour unveiling at the TotalEnergies House on Monday, November 27.

The Black Stars are expected to regroup again for the tournament which starts on January 13 after their disappointing start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup where they won one and lost the other of their first two opening games.