As the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off in Ivory Coast, football (soccer) fans are rejoicing after waiting for the delayed tournament with excitement. Egypt's Mohamed Salah, Senegal's Sadio Mane and Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen are among the star players who are expected to stand out in the month-long competition.  

From January 13 until February 11, the host nation and the participating countries will compete for the title of African champion, while defending champions Senegal will look to earn their second trophy after winning the cup for the first time in 2021. The Senegalese team is indeed among the favorites to win the tournament, according to experts.

Senegal captain Sadio Mane predicts that "a really difficult group" lies ahead for the AFCON holders when they face Gambia, Cameroon and Guinea. "The match against Cameroon is going to be very tough and we dare not underestimate our other opponents," the two-time African Player of the Year told reporters.

Fans will of course look to African football stars who have been flocking to the Saudi Pro League (Saudi Arabian championship) instead of the traditional European clubs. Players such as Sadio Mané, Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal), Riyhad Mahrez (Algeria), Yassine Bounou (Morocco), and Franck Kessié Seko Fofana (Ivory Coast), have all chosen to join the Saudi championship, which offers salaries 5 or 6 times higher than European football clubs.

Although some of the biggest names in football are standing out, smaller nations with great ambition might create major surprises. Countries such as Mozambique and The Gambia have great potential, as well as Mauritania and Zambia, the surprise winners of the 2012 AFCON.

 This time around, the excitement will start right from the group stage as this year's draw has produced a number of matches in which potential winners will clash. In their second match, the host country, Ivory Coast, will face Nigeria, three-time winners of the competition. The Ghanaian outsiders will take on Egypt, one of the favorite teams with their 7 previous AFCON victories (the most in this competition’s history). And on day 2, the duel between Senegal and Cameroon (5-time winner) looks promising.

At the last AFCON in 2022 hosted by Cameroon, the indomitable lions suffered the setbacks of popularity pressure when they lost in the semi-finals against Egypt on penalty kicks. The Egyptians eventually lost the title to Senegal.

Although the host nation Ivory Coast is not among the favorites, and the golden era of Didier Drogba and brothers Yaya and Kolo Touré, English Champion League superstars, is way behind us, Ivorian supporters will still expect the impossible. Senegal, Morocco and Egypt are also expected to put on a show of their own.

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