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Today, Friday, the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Egypt with a match between the hosts and the national teams of Libya. Sixteen teams will compete for the cup, divided into four groups.
One of the world's most famous bookmakers, "William Hill," rates the chances of the Cameroon national team to win the cup the highest - their odds are 5. The hosts Egypt (5.5), Ivory Coast (6), Tunisia (7), and Nigeria (8) follow closely. The odds for other teams are higher than ten, with the lowest-rated chances belonging to Libya with odds of 126.
Visitors to our portal also rate Cameroon's chances of winning the highest - nearly 40% of visitors to a survey believe they will win the Africa Cup of Nations this year. However, visitors completely underestimate Egypt's chances of winning - only 2% believe they will win. Second place in the survey went to Ivory Coast (22%) and third to Nigeria (14%).
Remember, this tournament will be broadcast directly on the EuroSport sports channel. You can find the schedule for all football broadcasts here.
Here is the analysis of the Africa Cup of Nations:
Group A
Egypt
Ivory Coast
Libya
Morocco
January 20
Egypt - Libya
January 21
Morocco - Ivory Coast
January 24
Libya - Ivory Coast
Egypt - Morocco
January 28
Egypt - Ivory Coast
Libya - Morocco
In Group A, there is no doubt that the hosts, the Egyptians, have the best-rated chances. This belief is not just in the hosts' abilities but also a secret hope that they will go far in the tournament, as otherwise interest in the tournament would significantly decrease.
The Egypt national team has won the Africa Cup of Nations four times, two of which were while playing at home in 1959 and 1986.
The biggest star of the Egyptian national team is Ahmed "Mido" Hossam, a striker for Tottenham. He is a player who not only plays very well with his head but also has good footwork and a keen eye for goals. Another key player for the Egyptian national team should be Mohamed Barakat, who was named the 2005 African Footballer of the Year by the BBC. This player helped Cairo's Al Ahly win the African Champions League and achieve an incredible 55-game unbeaten streak for the club.
With almost no football traditions, except for the love of football by the dictator's son ruling the country, oil-rich Libya has already achieved what their fans could hardly expect - they have qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament for only the second time. Yet, they are the only team that has not been defeated in this tournament - 24 years ago, they won twice and played draw in the other three matches.
The biggest problem for Libya in this tournament will be that their team is made up almost entirely of players from local clubs, therefore having very little international football experience. All the hopes of fans will fall on captain Tarek El Taib, but bookmakers' forecasts say that Libya should be the underdogs in the group.
The young Morocco national team, coached at the time by the famous African footballer Badou Zaki, surprised everyone two years ago by reaching the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The team will be determined - they were the only team that did not lose in the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup, but still did not make it.
Experts agree that Morocco's results in Egypt will depend largely on coach Mohammed Fakhir's ability to inspire the team to fight. M. Fakhiras took over the team on the last day of last year, replacing the Frenchman Philippe Troussier, who unexpectedly did not lead the team in any match.
The biggest star for Morocco is Charlton Athletic defender Talal El Karkouri, and in attack, Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh should shine.
Experts agree that although Egypt and Ivory Coast are very dangerous opponents, it is Morocco that could be the team to shake up the whole tournament table in Group A.
With sixteen participations and only one victory - that is the history of Ivory Coast's participation in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament. The African country, which has deep football traditions, is once again among the favorites for this tournament. However, Ivory Coast has already earned the label of a "team that could win."
Looking at the names "on paper," Ivory Coast can already be called champions, but, as someone once said, football is played on the field, and names do not play - people do.
Nothing good is promised to the team by the memories of recent tournaments: in 2000, they were already eliminated after the first stage. Not much further, Ivory Coast continued in 2002, but in 2004, it was a real disaster as they did not even make it to the tournament in Tunisia.
Still, this year, there is a completely different mood in the Ivory Coast camp - having qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, team members will certainly believe in their strengths.
The team certainly does not lack famous players: Kolo Toure, already considered one of the best Premier League center-backs, can form a pair of center-backs with his team mate Emmanuel Eboue, while Didier Zokora, playing in France, should be a nightmare for opponents in Egypt.
London's Chelsea global star Didier Drogba, together with Aruna Dindane, who shone in the qualifiers, certainly will raise fear among all opponents.
Group B
Angola
Cameroon
DR Congo
Togo
January 21
Cameroon - Angola
Togo - DR Congo
January 25
Angola - DR Congo
Cameroon - Togo
January 29
Angola - Togo
Cameroon - DR Congo
After the painful matches - 95 minutes without a goal, missing an 11-meter penalty, which meant not qualifying for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Cameroon's players seem psychologically shattered. The only opportunity to redeem themselves and face their loyal fans well is to perform well in Egypt. Having participated 14 times and winning four times (in 1984, 1988, 2000, and 2002), the Cameroonians are always considered among the tournament favorites.
The Cameroon national team is not lacking in stars: just having one of the best forwards in the world, Samuel Eto'o of Barcelona, is a blessing. The most prolific player in the Spanish league is likely to form a forward pair with Pierre Webo from Osasuna. In goal, the Cameroon national team will have Carlos Kameni from Espanyol, one of the best goalkeepers in the Spanish league, while Geremi from Chelsea in London will lead the team in midfield.
Once everyone knew what to expect from Togo, but now their team surprises everyone - not only did they qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations but also for the World Cup in Germany. It is precisely the first-time qualification for the WC in the country's history that is considered the biggest achievement of the team's coach, Stephen Keshi.
Experts immediately draw attention to the reliable defense of the Togo national team - they conceded only eight goals in over ten qualifying matches for the Africa Cup of Nations, despite competing against Senegal in the group.
Egypt should attract the most attention from recently transferred forward Emmanuel Adebayor from Arsenal in London. This forward scored 11 goals in the qualifying cycle. In the qualifying cycle, attention was also drawn to Cherif Mamamas Toure and Abdel Cougbadja.
Although football is the most popular sport in Angola, it mainly receives funding from basketball. Unlike the country's basketball players, the footballers have not achieved anything yet. Participating twice in the Africa Cup of Nations, they did not win a single game.
The star of the Angola national team, so to speak, is Fabrice "Akwa" Maeico, who plays in Qatar. The only team member who played in the 1996 and 1998 Africa Cup of Nations. The sturdy striker has scored 31 goals in 67 matches for the national team. Another potential team leader is Paulo Figueiredo from the second division in Portugal. The 33-year-old player stood out during the qualifying cycle.
Although Angola's chances are viewed skeptically, they should not be completely underestimated, as they unexpectedly qualified for the World Cup, surpassing Nigeria in the qualifiers.
Having played in the Africa Cup of Nations fifteen times and winning it only twice in 1968 and 1974, the Congo Democratic Republic (DRC) national team is a true "veteran" of this tournament. Although the DRC has not missed a single Africa Cup of Nations tournament since 1992, one cannot underestimate their chances.
Due to injury, star player Shabani Nonda will miss the tournament for the second year in a row, so the team leader should be Lomana LuaLua, who plays in England. This robust striker left the national team in the 2004 tournament in Tunisia after attacking a referee, but LuaLua himself claims that he has learned to control his emotions.
Group C
Guinea
South Africa
Tunisia
Zambia
January 22
Tunisia - Zambia
South Africa - Guinea
January 26
Zambia - Guinea
Tunisia - South Africa
January 30
Tunisia - Guinea
Zambia - South Africa
The hosts and defending champions of the last tournament, led by Frenchman Roger Lemerre, are rightfully among the favorites. After the draw, they were satisfied - being placed in a relatively easy group, they hope to advance further without exerting too much effort in the first stage.
Despite the absence of Mehdi Nafti and Imed Mhadhebi, the Tunisia national team's fans hope for a good performance in the Africa Cup of Nations.
While Tunisian right-back Hatem Trabelsi's participation in the Africa Cup of Nations was limited due to injury, this year, 28-year-old Ajax star should be the leader of the Tunisia national team.
In attack, the opponents' defenders will find Brazil-born Santos difficult to handle.
With twelve participations, Tunisia is a team with extensive international experience, and experts say they are better than the team that had successful participation in the World Cup in Japan and South Korea four years ago.
One of the potential leaders of the team could be highly divisive El Hadji Diouf, who was suspended from four matches after assaulting a referee two years ago in Tunisia.
Another potential leader - Henri Camara - he scored seven goals during the qualifying cycle, and Papa Bouba Diop with his impressive build in the midfield will frighten opponents.
After qualifying just for the second time in the Africa Cup of Nations and failing to do well in Tunisia, the Zimbabwean footballers are the group's underdogs, but they cannot do worse. This could be the team's ace up their sleeve - no one expects anything from them, so there is no pressure on the players.
The team's fans certainly did not rejoice after the draw ceremony, where they were placed in the "deadly group" together with three heavyweights who have very real chances of becoming champions. This was the case two years ago in Tunisia.
Even the biggest fans of the team understand that their team lacks the talent and experience to be even somewhat serious contenders against the other three teams in the group, so the journey to Egypt is a great opportunity to gain some international match experience.
Nevertheless, there are players in this team who are worth paying attention to - Benjani Mwaruwari, who plays in France, missed the previous tournament due to injury but can truly be his country's national team leader this time. If he doesn't succeed, the experienced 32-year-old striker Peter Ndlovu could take over the leadership role.
Quarterfinals
February 3
Winner of Group A - Team that placed second in Group B (1st quarterfinal pair)
Winner of Group C - Team that placed second in Group D (2nd quarterfinal pair)
February 4
Winner of Group B - Team that placed second in Group A (3rd quarterfinal pair)
Winner of Group D - Team that placed second in Group C (4th quarterfinal pair)
Semifinals
February 7
Winner of 1st quarterfinal pair - Winner of 2nd quarterfinal pair
Winner of 3rd quarterfinal pair - Winner of 4th quarterfinal pair
Third-place match - February 9
Final - February 10
