The 34th edition of the TotalEnergies CAF African Cup of Nations kicks off on Saturday with hosts Cote d'Ivoire taking on Guinea Bissau.

• Ahead of the tricky match, CafOnline.com takes a look at some interesting facts and figures of the two sides.
• This will be the first encounter between Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations.
• Côte d’Ivoire are taking part in their 25^th CAF Africa Cup of Nations; only Egypt have made more appearances in the continent’s premier competition (26). They will be attempting to win the trophy for the third time, after 1992 and 2015.
• Côte d’Ivoire are hosting the CAF Africa Cup of Nations for the second time, 40 years after it was initially held in the country, in 1984. Cameroon won the title whilst Côte d’Ivoire were knocked out in the group stages.
• The hosts/co-hosts of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations have systematically reached the knockout stages of the tournament in all bar one of the last 14 editions – the exception was Gabon in 2017. However, no host has won the AFCON since Egypt in 2006.

• This is Guinea-Bissau’s fourth Africa Cup of Nations appearance after making their debut in the competition only six years ago in 2017 – they have finished bottom of their group in each of their three previous participations, with a total of three draws and six defeats.
• Only Benin (14) and Mozambique (12) have played more matches than Guinea-Bissau (9) at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations without ever winning one.
• Guinea-Bissau have failed to score in their last seven matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, a record for any team in the history of the competition. In total, it’s been over 11 hours since they last found the net (707 minutes), a goal by Piqueti against Cameroon on 18 January 2017.
• If Max Gradel plays, this will be his seventh CAF Africa Cup of Nations, equaling Boubacar Barry, Siaka Tiéné and Kolo Touré as the Ivorians with most AFCON appearances. He was part of the winning squad in 2015.
• The duo of Zinho Gano and Jorginho scored 55% of Guinea-Bissau’s goals in the qualifiers for the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations (3 goals each, out of a total of 11 team goals).

• Côte d’Ivoire are unbeaten in their last 12 opening matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (W7 D5) – the last time they lost their first match in an edition of the tournament was in 1996 (0-2 v Ghana). Their opening match will be their 100^th in the AFCON, becoming the third team to reach that tally after Egypt and Ghana.

   

The Elephants are heavy favourites for the Group A clash against a Djurtus side never to have won an Afcon game in three previous tournaments.

But coach Jean-Louis Gasset is wary of complacency against opponents with nothing to lose in front of 60,000 fans in Abidjan.

"We cannot underestimate Guinea-Bissau," said Gasset. "In these type of opening games, there is always a risk the underdog is fired up to cause an upset."

Cote d'Ivoire are hoping to emulate the class of 1984 by launching their campaign with a big win as hosts.

That victorious side 39 years ago thrashed Togo 3-0 in Abidjan in the tournament's very first match.

But Bissau will take inspiration from holding Gabon to a 1-1 draw in the 2017 opener and are targeting a famous first Afcon victory.

"We know we can create a sensation against the hosts," insisted Bissau coach Baciro Cande.

The Elephants can call on an array of Europe-based stars like Sebastian Haller, Eric Bailly and Franck Kessie as they eye glory on home soil.

With a squad packed with quality, the Elephants are justified favourites if they can handle the weight of expectation in front of a packed stadium.

But opening games can prove unpredictable and cagey - so Cote d'Ivoire must avoid falling into a Bissau trap that could derail their TotalEnergies CAF campaign.

Africa’s biggest event, TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 will kick-off at Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe at 20h00 GMT.

The opening match will be live in over 170 territories globally – making it one of the biggest events in international sport. Tickets for the match between hosts, Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea Bissau have been sold out.

The opening ceremony of the competition will start at 1800 GMT (20h00 Cairo, 21h00 Nairobi, 19h00 Casablanca).

Football fans in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, North America, South Pacific and the Caribbeans will be able to follow all the action live. Over 110 broadcasters have concluded the rights for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023.

The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 is the biggest sporting event in Africa.

The match official will be in charge when the host nation take on Guinea BIssau in Saturday's opening game in Abidjan.

The 39-year-old has high level experience and officiated during the FIFA™ U-17 World Cup in Brazil in 2019. 

The Egyptian will be supported by his Compatriots Mahmoud Ahmed Kamel and Ahmed Hossam Taha.

 Mahmoud Elbana has also appointed as the VAR referee of the match.

The match between Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea Bissau is scheduled to kick off at 20:00 GMT at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Ebimpé.

The streets of Abidjan are buzzing with excitement as fans flock in from across Africa ahead of the continent's biggest football party kicking off on Saturday night. 

Cote d’Ivoire's capital has been transformed into a sea of colour and noise as the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations hype shifts into overdrive.

Fans draped in their national colours have poured into the city, with streets and bars filled with jerseys, flags and vuvuzelas.

Buses full of supporters have arrived from neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Senegal Mauritania, and Nigeria in recent days.

Meanwhile the airport has been abuzz as fans and media fly in from across Africa and the world before the tournament opener with cities across the country witnessing a similar wave.

"The atmosphere here is amazing already," said Morocco fan Hassan El Bakkali told CafOnline.com in Abidjan on Saturday morning.

An Ivorian fan Yves Bedie said: "Everyone is excited for the football to start. You can feel the AFCON fever building in the city."

Vendors are capitalising on the football frenzy by selling team jerseys, caps, scarves and paraphernalia on street corners.

Roads are jammed with honking cars and motorbikes festooned with flags as national pride sweeps through Abidjan.

Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana Morocco and Mali colours are proving particularly popular given the heavy expectations on the hosts and reigning champions.

An electric opening ceremony kicked off the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d'Ivoire 2023 in thrilling style on Saturday night in Abidjan.

A capacity 60,000 crowd at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium soaked up the colours and culture of Cote d'Ivoire ahead of the tournament opener between the hosts and Guinea Bissau.

The celebration featured singers, acrobats and dancers in a vibrant showcase of Ivorian tradition and African unity.

Fireworks in the Ivorian national colours lit up the Abidjan sky at the end of the ceremony to launch Africa's biggest football party in spectacular fashion. 

The stunning spectacle whipped fans into a frenzy moments before kick-off as the continental showpiece got underway:

Seko Fofana made sure the hosts started how they mean to go on! 

📹 HIGHLIGHTS: 🇨🇮 2-0 🇬🇼

The hosts secure their first points of the tournament with a win over Guinea-Bissau ✅#CIVGNB | #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 |@Football2Gether

— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 14, 2024