Morocco, Ivory Coast and Senegal favorites for the 34th Africa Cup
Ιvory Coast is this year's host of the 34th Africa Cup of Nations, which opened its gates on Saturday (13/1) with the match between the host country and Guinea-Bissau (2-0), and will conclude with the final of the event on February 11
Ιvory Coast is this year's host of the 34th Africa Cup of Nations, which opened its gates on Saturday (13/1) with the match between the host country and Guinea-Bissau (2-0), and will conclude with the final of the event on February 11.
And while many Abidjan residents fear match-day traffic jams in a city that usually suffers from heavy traffic, there is excitement about hosting Africa's premier event.
Ivory Coast has only hosted the Africa Cup of Nations once, in 1984, in a different era, as only eight teams took part then, compared to the 24 now on the... 'starting' line.
The 24 representative groups will be located in five cities: in addition to Abidjan and its two stadiums, the teams will be distributed between Yamoussoukro, the large city of Bouake, the port of San Pedro (southwest) and Korogo (north).
Showcase for the development of the country with a fund of 1.5 billion dollars. "Let us mobilize to make this Africa Cup of Nations a great celebration of youth, Ivorian hospitality and African brotherhood," President Alasane Kwatara said in his New Year's address.
The success of this event has indeed become an absolute priority for the authorities, who hope to use it as a showcase for the country's development.
That's why the government didn't... skimp on the financial means to ensure its success, spending a total of $1.5 billion.
1.5 million visitors are expected - the Prime Minister
In addition to the six stadiums built or renovated, bridges, roads and hotels have also been built in recent years. On Thursday, during the cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister of Ivory Coast, Robert Begre Mabe, assured that his country is ready at all levels: "Sports infrastructure, reception system, transport and mobility".
The authorities are keen to turn the page after the September 12 fiasco, when the Cote d'Ivoire-Mali friendly was abandoned on the pitch at the Ebibe stadium on the outskirts of Abidjan.
Some 20,000 young volunteers and 17,000 police officers will be mobilized for this month's event, during which organizers expect up to 1.5 million visitors, particularly from neighboring countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Ghana.
Until the final on February 11, the event, which was won by Senegal in 2021, is expected to be exciting. Hosts "Elephants" have won the trophy twice, in 1992 and 2015.
The three favorites
Morocco with... out of the World Cup in Qatar, Senegal with momentum as the title holder and the "host" Ivory Coast are the three big favorites to win the trophy.
Morocco, the first team from Africa to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, are looking for nothing more than the "first". Immediately after his feat in Qatar, Walid Regraghi even announced that he would leave his position as coach if he did not win the trophy, seeing this pressure as necessary to move forward.
He has since toned down his demands, saying he will only quit if he fails to reach the semi-finals. In any case, the Moroccan national team has the "weapons" to win - finally - a second star, almost half a century after the only trophy it won in 1976.
The Senegalese ended up celebrating their first trophy two years ago, after a very long wait and two lost finals (2002 and 2019). Ever since they opened an account, they haven't stopped winning.
The champions rely on the same backbone: Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and Sadio Mane. All three left major English clubs for Saudi Arabia.
Salah dreams of... revenge
The third favorite tag is behind the 'Elephants'. In addition to the support of the fans, Ivory Coast can count on a large squad, with big names such as Seko Fofana, Frank Kessie and Sebastien Haller, who will however miss the premiership. It's up to 70-year-old... newbie Jean-Louis Gaschet, who is appearing in the first Africa Cup of his coaching career, to put everything in order.
Behind these three teams, Egypt - the eventual winner - who has won seven titles, having been defeated in the final in 2017 and 2021, is dreaming of... revenge. Mohamed Salah, more than anyone else.
Among the outsiders are also Algeria and Tunisia, in transition of generations. Algeria wants to "wash away" the insult Jamel Belmadi, African champion with the "greens" in 2019, is rebuilding the team around Riyad Mahrez and wants to "wash away" the insult from the Cameroon tournament in 2021, when Algeria was eliminated at the stage.
Of the groups
Tunisia "lost" its leader, Wadi Kazri, who retired from the international scene, and coach Jalel Kadri decided to make his plans without Saim El Jebali (18, Lyon).
Cameroon look a step further back, especially without their two most prolific strikers, the injured Brian Boumeau, and Eric-Maxime Chupo-Moting. But one must always be wary of the competitive spirit of the "Untamed Lions".
Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo or even Burkina Faso, finalists in the 2013 edition and three-time semi-finalists in the last five African Cups, can hope.
A surprise, after all, can always arise, like The Gambia two years ago, who reached the quarter-finals in their first participation.
The six groups of the event:
Group 1: Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria
Group 2: Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Mozambique
3rd group: Cameroon, Gambia, Guinea, Senegal
4th group: Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Mauritania
Group 5: Mali, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia
6th group: L.D. Congo, Morocco, Tanzania, Zambia
Manos Staramopoulos
Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs
Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com
Athens (Greece)
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