The African Cup of Nations, which begins next Saturday, is expected to witness strong competition due to the participation of several big teams in the tournament, which are looking to overthrow Senegal, the holders of the previous edition’s title.
Morocco is seeking to build on its unprecedented success in the World Cup after becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals. At the same time, Egypt, the seven-time champion of the tournament, hopes that Mohamed Salah will be able to help the team win the title after losing the 2021 African Cup final on penalties.
As for Nigeria, it is the birthplace of the best African player of the year, Victor Osimhen, and Ghana is led by Mohammed Quddus in its quest to win its fifth title, while Côte d'Ivoire seeks to rely on support from being the owner of the land.
Mane, who scored the decisive penalty kick for Senegal in the final victory over Egypt in 2021, said: “This competition will be one of the strongest tournaments since I started playing in it, given the participation of all the major countries with big names in football on the continent.”
The 34th edition of the biennial tournament was supposed to be held in June and July last year but was postponed to avoid the tropical rainy season in Côte d'Ivoire.
This means it will once again be played in the middle of the Europa League season, forcing many top clubs to be without some of their best players for up to a month.
Napoli will have to do without Osimhen, Liverpool will have to do without Salah, while German League leader Bayer Leverkusen will be without four players - Victor Boniface (Nigeria), Amine Adly (Morocco), Odilon Kosono (Côte d'Ivoire), and Edmund Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), which may It undermines its attempt to win the German League title over Bayern Munich.
Safety will be an issue again after eight people were killed and 38 injured in a stampede in the last edition in Cameroon.
24 teams in 6 groups
The 24-team tournament will include six groups, with matches distributed across six stadiums in five cities, with the final match being held at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan on February 12.
Group A (Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau)
• Guinea Bissau and Côte d'Ivoire, the host nation, play their opening match on Saturday, while Nigeria takes on Equatorial Guinea the next day.
• Côte d'Ivoire next faces three-time defending champion Nigeria, on January 18, which is expected to decide who wins the group.
• Nigeria is always among the favorites to win the tournament, but its last title was in 2013.
• Osimhen will lead the “Eagles” in their 20th appearance, alongside him: Boniface, a Leverkusen player, and Samuel Chukwueze, a Milan player.
• At the same time, Côte d'Ivoire is seeking to win its third title under Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller's leadership, who has scored only two goals in 14 matches in Germany this season.
• There is also 20-year-old Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomandi, a player to watch.
• Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau participated for the fourth time in the tournament.
• All group matches will be held in Abidjan, the largest city in Côte d'Ivoire.
Group Two (Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique)
• Egypt and Ghana are the heavyweights in this group, and they will play each other in a match to determine the identity of the group leader on January 18.
• The Black Stars are coached by former Irish international coach Chris Hughton, and Athletic Bilbao striker Iñaki Williams was able to join the team after recovering from illness.
• Cape Verde and Mozambique are playing their fourth and fifth matches respectively.
Group C (Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia)
• Senegal faces a difficult task to retain the title this time, as it must first pass a group that includes five-time cup champions Cameroon.
• Senegal is playing under the leadership of the team’s star, Mane, who missed the World Cup last year due to a leg injury he suffered while participating with Bayern Munich shortly before the start of the tournament in Qatar.
• The “Indomitable Lions of Cameroon” return to where they won the first of their five titles in 1984, after finishing third two years ago, and Besiktas striker Vincent Boubakar, top scorer in the 2021 African Cup with eight goals, takes over the team.
• Guinea is playing its 14th match and will rely on Stuttgart striker Serho Djerassi to lead the team’s attack after scoring 17 goals in 14 matches in the German League.
• Gambia is participating for only the second time after reaching the quarter-finals in 2021.
Group Four (Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola)
• Despite having a talented team led by former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez, Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi downplayed his team's chances of winning the African Cup of Nations for the third time.
• Algeria was eliminated from the group stage in the last tournament and then failed to qualify for the World Cup.
• Burkina Faso hopes to reach the final in its 13th appearance, led by quiet Leverkusen defender Edmund Tapsouba, one of the German team's key players this season.
• The “Horses” ranked fourth in 2021 after the team finished third in the previous tournament.
Group E (Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia)
• Tunisia and South Africa are seeking to win their second title after winning in 2004 and 1996, respectively.
• Tunisia is looking to experienced leader Youssef Msakni to score goals, and its team has strength in the midfield in light of the presence of Elias Skhiri, the Eintracht Frankfurt player, and Issa Al-Aidouni, the Union Berlin player, who provide a platform for the team’s attack.
• The South African national team will be led by Percy Tau, a striker who plays for Egyptian club Al-Ahly, while veteran Themba Zwane has been included in the squad after initially being overlooked by Belgian coach Hugo Bruce.
• Mali participates for the thirteenth time and Namibia for the fourth time.
Group Six (Morocco, Congo, Zambia, Tanzania)
• After becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar last year, Morocco is now hoping to add to only its second African Cup title.
• Walid Regragui’s team beat Belgium, Spain, and Portugal before losing to France, which reached the World Cup final in Qatar.
• Regragui was less than six months old when the Atlas Lions won their only African Cup in 1976, and is now seeking to repeat the feat, with the help of Paris Saint-Germain star Achraf Hakimi from the defense.
• Congo is participating for the twentieth time and is seeking its third title after winning in 1968 and 1974.
• Zambia, winners of the title in 2012, is coached by Avram Grant, who led Ghana to the final in 2015 and then to fourth place two years later.
• Tanzania is participating in the finals for only the third time.