Unusually, perhaps, for Africa's premier football competition, the road to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations has been relatively smooth, but don't expect constant build-up to the competition to lead to a cold campaign.
Indeed, while there are signs that things are changing off the field for African sport, the energy, dynamism and unpredictability that make the Nations Cup such an attractive spectacle should be present as always.
Of course, as is usual in AFCON preparations, there was the usual date change. The tournament that was originally scheduled for June and July 2023 – to align the continental calendar with European football – was postponed six months after it was deemed impractical for Ivory Coast to host during the rainy season.
Are the hosts ready?
The tournament's motto is 'Akwaba', which means 'Welcome' in the Baulé language prevalent in and around the administrative capital Yamoussoukro, and Ivorians are pulling out all the stops in a hospitality campaign.
The tournament will be held in six stadiums in five cities, including two in Abidjan, with optimism that the €800 million investment in infrastructure will allow Africa's 28th largest country to take on the significant challenge of hosting the expanded 24-team tournament.
Measures will also be taken to ensure there is no repeat of the Stade d'Olembe disaster that overshadowed the last tournament in Cameroon, with eight fans losing their lives, although progress on some works across the country will continue until kick-off. off.
Beyond AFCON, the country's football community, which has struggled to put its own differences behind after Didier Drogba's failed presidential bid in April 2022, will hope the investment will breathe new life into the national sporting scene.
Similarly, increased investment in the country's road and airport network should have a broader impact for the general population and domestic trade.
CAF chief Motsepe will not receive grace this time
With South African billionaire Dr. Patrice Motsepe elected president less than 10 months before the last AFCON in Cameroon, the tournament represented something of a gift to him and he was able to, to some extent, distance himself from some of the complications that arose. that competition.
This time, it's a different story; He has spent almost three years at the helm of African football's governing body and has had ample opportunities to shape the continent's favorite sport in his own image.
CAF's revamped media systems and visual identity, as well as new competitions such as the African Schools Football Championship and the African Football League, can be launching pads for a successful future for the organization in the coming years, but For now, the successful management of an AFCON remains the baseline standard.
It remains to be seen how present and influential Gianni Infantino will be during the process. Motsepe's close relationship with the Fifa boss continues to come under scrutiny, amid concerns that football on the continent is losing its autonomy, although the South African's insistence that the AFCON must remain a biennial event (rather than every four years) was a clear area in which he diverged from Infantino.
AFCON can remain an area where Motsepe's – and Africa's – sovereignty can remain intact.
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Who are Iñaki Williams' favorites to win the AFCON?
Iñaki Williams of Ghana talks about who the favorite teams are to win the African Cup of Nations.
Will Senegal be able to defend its title?
At least on the pitch, fans should get their money's worth, not least because, in a unique situation for the recent Nations Cups, three historic African generations, each relatively in their prime, are eyeing the ultimate prize. largest of the continent.
Defending champions Senegal, 2019 champions Algeria and World Cup heroes Morocco will all believe they can cap a period of success by lifting gold in the Ivory Coast.
Senegal have become Africa's leading force in recent years, with talent emerging from celebrated academies such as Diambars and Generation Foot, before moving on to European football and the senior national team.
They are currently champions of the African Nations Championship, the AFCON U-20, the AFCON U-17, they have qualified for consecutive World Cups for the first time in their history and reached the knockout phase in Qatar.
They are also, of course, the reigning champions, and the country's greatest generation, surpassing even the heroes of 2002, are rightly aiming to become the first team to retain their title since Egypt in 2010.
With Aliou Cisse they are a settled and united group, although will the impact of veterans like Sadio Mané, Kalidou Koulibaly and Édouard Mendy be lessened after their move to Saudi football?
North African teams are the strongest threat
Algeria have something to prove, having enjoyed continental success in the 2019 Nations Cup with their golden generation, before embarking on a record 26-match unbeaten run. However, everything fell apart in the last edition in Cameroon, where they were stunned by Equatorial Guinea, failed to defeat Sierra Leone and were eliminated in the group stage.
The insult added to a very serious injury, as they were eliminated by Cameroon in the World Cup qualification, losing bitterly to Qatar. However, with head coach Djamel Belmadi and 12 members of that team still present this time, including Riyad Mahrez, they have a chance to show that they have overcome the problems of recent years.
Then there is Morocco, which has always had poor results in the Nations Cup (it has not won since 1976), but now imbued with new conviction after reaching the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar.
That campaign demonstrated the unity and tactical talent of the team under Walid Regragui, as they negotiated some ominous knockout matches, while allowing some of their own stars to shine.
Consolidating their position as Africa's dominant force following up their World Cup heroics with a Nations Cup victory would be a worthy testament to this talented collection, but if there's one thing Morocco does well it's deceive at the continental table.
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Why AFCON could be 'pessimistic' for Nigeria
Ed Dove discusses expectations for the Nigerian national team at the African Cup of Nations.
Beyond those three, the field seems open. Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria have tremendous positives but major flaws (including bubbling tensions at management level), while hosts Ivory Coast can safely channel local support to win their first crown since 2015. .
If the Elephants' midfield of Franck Kessié, Ibrahim Sangaré and Seko Fofana can prevail, and if Sébastien Haller finds his scoring touch, then the West Africans could click with their own fans.
Teams such as Mali, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will enjoy their dark horse status, while could any of the less attractive teams emulate Gambia's run to the quarter-finals two years ago? Zambia will be hoping to celebrate their return with a strong run in the competition under Avram Grant, while Equatorial Guinea are another team that knows how to be more than the sum of its parts.
But how can fans see all this action?
The management of television rights remains a concern, with the 'new kid on the block', Togo-registered broadcaster New World TV, taking the lion's share of continental broadcasting rights.
Multichoice-owned SuperSport TV announced a week before the competition that it would not broadcast any AFCON matches, only to make a U-turn – after a behind-the-scenes deal was reached with New World TV – and CEO Rendani Ramovha announced on Wednesday (three days before the opening match) that they would show all 52 matches live.
It is a positive result, but at what price, since the change does not look good for either CAF or the tournament sponsors.
