A Lions' battle and the Sahel derby: A guide to AFCON's most competitive rivalries

The Africa Cup of Nations was first played in 1957. This year's tournament will be the 34th edition of the continent's prestigious competition. For the third time in its history, 24 teams will compete for the title, divided into six groups of four. In addition to the first and second-placed teams from the groups, the top four third-placed teams will also advance to the last 16. 

Elephants vs. Eagles. Who will be stronger?

Group A: Ivory Coast (hosts), Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau

The most anticipated match of this group will be the clash between the home 'Elephants' and the 'Green Eagles' from Nigeria. The Ivory Coast team managed to win the championship twice in its history (1992 and 2015) and will be among the favourites this year. The Nigerians are three-time winners themselves (1980, 1994 and 2013). 

At the last edition in 2021, they crashed out in the last-16 against Tunisia, they didn't even qualify for the subsequent World Cup in Qatar and are currently three games without a win (they lost to Guinea and drew with Zimbabwe and Lesotho). Their fans, however, have high hopes with Napoli's Victor Osimhen leading the line. 

The 'Portuguese' duel

Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique

The Egyptian national team has triumphed in the tournament a record seven times and is the only team in history to have won it times in a row (2006, 2008 and 2010). However, the 2010 title is the last gold for the Pharaohs so far. Last time, they were stopped at the final hurdle by Senegal in a penalty shootout.

An interesting connection can be found between the national teams of Cape Verde and Mozambique, even though these countries lie at opposite ends of the continent. Both countries were Portuguese colonies in the past, and Portuguese is the main and official language in both. Cape Verde will be the favourite, as they will want to try to qualify for the play-offs.

Lion derby

Group C: Senegal (defending champions), Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia

In the match of the group favourites between Senegal and Cameroon, it will be a battle of the Lions. The former is nicknamed the 'Lions of Teranga'. The term teranga could be translated from the local language of the Wolof (one of the local ethnic groups) as hospitality, which is typical for Senegalese.

The Cameroonians are known as the 'Invincible Lions'. Five-time winners of the tournament (the second most successful nation), they last reigned supreme in 2017.

The other duels in Group C will also be significant. The derby feeling will be present in all the clashes between Senegal, Gambia and Guinea, as all three countries share a border with one another. In the case of Gambia, Senegal is their only neighbour as its territory is an internal enclave. This is a typical example of artificial colonial borders defined without regard to local ethnic conditions.

The territory has been defined as a 10-mile strip on both banks of the Gambia River. Because of this - and because it lies at the heart of Senegal - Gambia plays an important role for the transport of goods. Passage through its territory is therefore subject to tolls. The strained relations between the two countries are likely to be reflected in their first-ever AFCON clash. It will also be a rematch of last year's U20 continental final, which Senegal won.

Match for the Sahel

Group D: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola

Clearly the biggest favourite in the group and one of the biggest contenders for the overall title is Algeria, led by Riyad Mahrez. Burkina Faso and Mauritania, two teams from the Sahel region, are expected to compete for second place. That's the name for the territory on the southern edge of the Sahara. A strip of 'Sahel' across the continent separates the desert from the tropical rainforest.

Politically, it is currently one of the least stable territories in the world. In Burkina Faso, there has been an ongoing conflict since 2017 between the Islamic State, Al-Qaeda and the local armed forces, supported by French troops. Algeria and neighbouring Mauritania were then part of Caligula's Roman Empire at the beginning of AD.

South African flashback

Group E: Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia

Group E is probably the most balanced quartet, with the Tunisian team expected to fulfil the role of favourite. Ironically though, they are the smallest country in this quartet. The Tunisians have in their midfield a player with recent Champions League experience - Elias Achouri even assisted Copenhagen's qualifying goal in the decisive game against Galatasaray.

A derby between South Africa and Namibia, which share not only a substantial border but also a very complex historical relationship in the south of the continent, could shake up the table. Namibia has long been a de facto part of South Africa. It only gained independence from it after the 1990 war (as one of the last African states).

The Battle of Lake Tanganyika

Group F: Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Tanzania

Three national teams that have managed to win the entire tournament in the past meet in Group F. After successfully making it to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar, Morocco are also hungry for success in Africa. It has only managed to do so once before, 20 years ago. The DR Congo team has reigned twice (but last time as Zaire in 1974), while Zambia's footballers have also been champions once - that was in 2012.

The three participants in this group are neighbours and regional rivals from East Africa. DR Congo and Tanzania do not share a common border - the two countries are separated by Lake Tanganyika, one of the largest in the world. Neighbours in the true sense of the word are Zambia and Tanzania, atypical by African standards. There has been long-standing cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the area of trade. The Tazama pipeline, which was launched in 1968, is proof of this.