The 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)

AFCON hosts, Ivory Coast for opening game, have high hopes for Nigeria clash

The 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off with one of the pre-tournament favourites and host nation Ivory Coast taking on big underdogs Guinea-Bissau in Abidjan. The Elephants face all the pressure in this curtain-raising clash and first-ever H2H between the sides, as a host nation hasn’t lost their AFCON opener since Burkina Faso way back in February 1998! Jean-Louis Gasset’s side head into the tournament in fine form having lost just one of their last ten matches (W6, D3), but his players have some demons to banish, as they’ve failed to progress beyond the quarter-final stage since last lifting the trophy in 2015. That said, as the host nation hasn’t reached the AFCON final in any of the last eight iterations, and has not won the tournament since 2006, the omens are certainly against an Ivory Coast squad that boasts some serious quality. With Group A also containing strong contenders in the form of Nigeria, very little is expected of opponents Guinea-Bissau, who are participating in their fourth consecutive AFCON finals. The Djurtus will be desperate for a change in fortune at this tournament, as they’ve so far failed to win a single game in the tournament proper (D3, L6), failing to score in each of their last six such matches (D2, L4).