January 12 – Just as the Asian Cup kicks off in Qatar, so Africa’s showpiece event, the African Cup of Nations, gets under way on Saturday in the Ivory Coast which has invested at least $1 billion on hosting the tournament having built four new stadiums while renovating two others.
Initially slated for last summer, climate concerns in the host nation saw the competition delayed and ultimately moved to January 2024 – the worst possible timing for a slew of European clubs who will lose key players for up to a month.
The tournament boasts five teams from the World Cup in Qatar, including semi-finalists Morocco, one of the strong favourites.
The hosts kick off the tournament against Guinea-Bissau in Abidjan aiming to win the competition for the third time with a star-studded squad featuring the likes of Franck Kessie, Ibrahim Sangare, Willy Boly, Nicolas Pepe, Sebastian Haller, Wilfried Zaha and Eric Bailly.
But they will have their work cut out despite home advantage. Defending champions Senegal again look strong contenders in a tournament which originally began with just three teams back in 1957 and now boasts 24.
Seven-time winners Egypt, led by Mohammed Salah, will hope to go one better after losing the 2021 final on penalties while Nigeria are spearheaded by Victor Osimhen, unquestionably one of the hottest strikers in the world in the last two years. Ghana’s “Black Stars” could be one of the dark horses, coached by former Brighton and Nottingham Forest manager Chris Hughton.
Morocco set new standards for African football just over 12 months ago at the World Cup but the pressure is now on to improve a dismal record in their showpiece continental competition. They became the first Arab and African country to reach a World Cup semi-final in their thrilling run in Qatar but their only past AFCON triumph came almost a half century ago in 1976.
“It’s true the last World Cup finals has given us the experience of the big competitions but for us the reality is that the Cup of Nations is always a complicated tournament,” coach Walid Regragui told Reuters in the build-up.
“This is not the first time Morocco will arrive as favourite and a potential winner but, unfortunately, we have not managed to be regularly among the last four. It shows that despite the experience of the competitions, it is not a major factor to assure us of victory.”
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