All eyes is Abidjan ahead of AFCON Kickoff

Abidjan, 

Saturday, 13 January, 2024 

McCreadie Andias 

Anticipation is high for the official kick off of the 34th edition of the African Cup of Nations staged in Ivory Coast from Saturday Evening. 

Hosts Ivory Coast will be staging the tournament for the second time since 1984 as they play the opening match against Guinea Bissau in Abidjan seeking to bag their second trophy in the competition.

The 2024 edition held across five cities including Abidjan and Bouaké, with 24-teams at six stadiums in a month-long tournament, costing the Ivorian exchequer more than $1bn (£780m) with lavishly extensive infrastructure designed to welcome football lovers across Africa and abroad . 

Among other designated centres for the tournament include 20,000 seater Stade Laurent Pokou in San Pedro , 20,000 seater Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly Korhogo ,Stade de la Paix Bouaké with 40,000 seats, Stade Charles Konan Banny Yamoussoukro with 20,000 seats, Stade Charles Konan Banny Yamoussoukro with 20,000 seats,StadeFélixHouphouët-Boigny in Abidjan with 45,000 seats and the biggests Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan with 60,000 seat which will also host the opening match. 

"We are very confident, this is going to be the best AFCON ever." CAF president Patrice Motsepe expressing confident in the Sucess of the tournament. 

Nigeria’s Jay-Jay Okocha, the outrageously talented midfielder who won the Afcon in 1994, and reached the final in 2000, is one of Caf’s four new ambassadors, with a role to promote “Caf and African football, as well as playing an important role in other activities including tournaments, charity initiatives, commercial and social events”.

Hosts Ivory Coast will play in Group A alongside Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and three time winners Nigeria. 

Group B will host record winners Egypt who stand as the most Sucessful team in the tournament with 7 trophies Cape Verde alongside most runner-ups Ghana and Mozambique. 

Group C will host five time winner Cameroon, Gambia, Guinea and defending champions Senegal. 

Group D will host 2019 champions Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso and Mauritania while group Group E will host Mali, Namibia, South Africa and Tunisia. 

The last group Group F will host two-time champions DR Congo, Tournament favourites Morocco, Tanzania and 2012 champions Zambia. 

The Atlas lions of Morocco are highly considered as favourites with a look at their Stellar performance in the 2022 FIFA world cup where they emerged the first African team to progress to the Semi Final stage. 

Morocco also have incredible ballers with the likes of Archraf Hakimi, Hakim Ziyech, Soyfat Amrabat and Boufal. 

Meanwhile, a number of top players have been sidelined from the tournament due to Injuries with Ghana set to miss midfielder Thomas Partey while Cameroon will miss on last edition's top scorer Vincent Aboubakar and Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo. 

Nigeria seem to be the biggest victims with a spell of injuries snatching off Wilfred Ndidi, red - hot Victor Boniface, Sadiq Umar and Nottingham Forest's Taiwo Awoniyi. 

The Final is expected for February 11th.