Cameroon made light work of their qualification group to reach Ghana, winning all but one of their games, and bookmakers are certainly not wrong when assessing them as one of the hot favourites for the trophy. The Indomitable Lions will look to go all the way and equal Egypt’s all-time record of five ACNs triumphs, and with the calibre of players at coach Otto Pfister’s disposal it would take a brave man to bet against them being there or thereabouts come February. They also have a favourable group draw which sees them avoid some of the more fancied teams potentially until the semi-final stages, and as such the nation’s fans will be expecting nothing less than a place in the last four if only to try and erase painful memories of the team’s failure to make it to the World Cup in 2006. Cameroon’s star man needs no introduction – Samuel Eto’o is one of the best strikers in the world and a key player for Catalan giants FC Barcelona. A two time winner of this tournament, Eto’o was the top scorer in the 2006 ACNs, but will be looking to put behind him his decisive penalty miss in the shootout with Côte d’Ivoire at the quarter final stage two years ago. Barcelona were hopeful that Eto’o would neglect the tournament in favour of helping out his club through a tricky spell, but the decision to represent his country is a major boost for Cameroon. The Lions have quality in all areas of the pitch, and Lille’s Jean Makoun is also worth a mention as an impressive midfield force that is strong in the tackle and capable of driving the team on. Certainly, they should coast through the group.

Egypt are the most successful nation in ACNs history with five wins, but go into this tournament with injury problems that may well hinder them in the defence of the crown they won back in 2006. Mohamed Barakat (Al-Ahly) has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury, while Ahmed Mido Hossam (Middlesbrough) is also unable to participate because of a groin problem. Both are key players for the Pharaohs, and the creativity and goals the pair bring to the side will be sorely missed. Anderlecht midfielder and national captain Ahmed Hassan’s importance to the team only increases in their absence, while promising striker Amr Zaki (El Zamalek) will be relied on for goals. Egypt went unbeaten in qualifying but with three draws their passage to Ghana was only secured in the final game with a 1-0 win against Botswana – many feel they should not have laboured so much in what was a limited group. Group C will likely prove far more testing for them, starting with the Cameroon game in Kumasi on 22nd January 2008. The defending champions may find it tough to retain their title but will be positive about making the knockout stages, and should they qualify the good memories and valuable experience of the 2006 triumph could well spur them on further.

Sudan are playing in their first Cup of Nations since 1976, and the noises coming from the Nile Crocodiles’ camp suggests they are confident of making a name for themselves in Ghana. After topping their qualification group ahead of a Tunisian side with far more experience, they have every right to be positive. “We want to claim good results in Ghana to show that 2008 will be a year to remember for Sudanese sport,” striker Haytham Tambal (Al-Merreikh) told local papers, and a lot will depend on his performances upfront having proved an influential player in qualifying. Sudan is Africa’s largest country with 2.5 million square kilometres in area, but as a breeding ground of footballing talent it has not produced the number of quality players in recent times that the nation’s size might imply. Now given the chance to play on the big stage the one-time African champions will be hoping to do themselves justice. The squad is made up of local talent drawn from just two sides, Sudanese champions Al Hilal and cup winners Al Merreikh, meaning Sudan bring a truly local flavour to the competition. Coach Mohammed Abdallah caused a stir in leaving attacking midfielder Faisal Agab (Al-Merreikh) out of his provisional squad despite Agab’s contribution as top scorer in qualifying with five goals, but he has since been restored to the 23 man squad. The Nile Crocodiles will need to beat Zambia in their first group game on 22nd January 2008 if they are to have any hope of qualifying, but they may well struggle to cope with the ability of their other Group C rivals. Regardless, simply qualifying for the tournament already makes this a year to remember for Sudanese football fans.

Zambia managed to finish above South Africa in qualifying, and consequently will compete in this their 12th ACNs. Twice tournament runners-up, the southern African nation were eliminated at the group stages in 2006 and one suspects the same fate could befall them in Ghana due to the calibre of opposition they will face. Known as the Chipolopolo (surely the best nickname ever), many of the players that took part in the 2006 ACNs are involved this time around and as such the country’s fans will look for their team to build on past experiences and cause the group favourites problems. Experience was not the main criteria for squad selection however, and the major story in Zambia building up to this tournament was the dropping of two of their more seasoned professionals Collins Mbesuma and Elijah Tana. Both were deemed too out of shape to participate by coach Patrick Phiri, and subsequently left out. The national team nickname translates as the ‘Copper Bullets’ and in strikers Jacob Mulenga (RC Strasbourg) and Christopher Katongo (Brondby) Zambia will be hoping the ammunition is there to help them achieve. They begin with a must-win game against Sudan on the 22nd before facing Cameroon. Zambian midfielder Andrew Sinkala (SC Paderborn) has been ruled out of the tournament along with defender and former captain Moses Sichone (Kickers Offenbach), but it is not all doom and gloom for Phiri and Zambia as their pre-tournament preparations began with an impressive 2-1 win over Tunisia. If they can maintain the level of performance they managed in that game, the Chipolopolo might just raise a few eyebrows.

Prediction: The collective enthusiasm of both Sudan and Zambia may well ruffle a few feathers here, and any complacency from the group favourites will surely be punished by two confident sides with nothing to lose. However the superior footballing qualities of Cameroon and Egypt should see them both through.