African Nations Cup 2012: The Favourites

A young girl holds aloft the African Nations Cup trophy

The 28th edition of the African Nations up kicks off in Bata Equatorial Guinea on the 21st of January 2012. The tournament is being co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea  and as usual it promises to be enthralling prospect. Millions of Africans both at home and in the diaspora will be watching with optimism, and a sense of anticipation as the continent's showpiece event gets underway.

Defending Champions Egypt failed to qualify for Gabon & Equatorial Guinea 2012.

The failure of continental giants Cameroon, Nigeria and defending champions Egypt to qualify for Gabon & Equatorial Guinea 2012, has left some fans wondering whether the quality of football will be affected by their absence. Their failure to qualify stunned many fans and football pundits alike, as the teams share a combined 13 Nations Cup titles between them. Nonetheless the show must go on, and there will be an abundance of talented footballers showcasing their skills in the pursuit of international football glory. Here is a look at the teams considered as favourties to be crowned Champions of Gabon & Equatorial Guinea 2012.

The Elephants of Ivory Coast
Winners: 1992   Runners-up 2006

Key Players: Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Gervinho (Arsenal), Cheick Tiote (Newcastle United), Kolo & Yahya Toure (Manchester City), Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow) and solomon Kalou (Chelsea)

The Ivorians possess one of the most talented squads on the continent, and they will be hoping the absence of Cameroon, Nigeria and Egypt further enhances their chance of winning the Nations Cup for only the second time in their footballing history. The Elephants last lifted the Nations Cup in 1992 when they defeated Ghana 11-10 on penalties in a quite remarkable final.

Can the Elephants succeed at Gabon & Equatorial Guinea 2012?

The last three editions (2006, 2008 & 2010) have seen the Elephants go into the tournaments as favourites only to disappoint their dedicated fans.  They lost 4-2 on penalties to Egypt at the final of the 2006 edition in Cairo, and the Egyptians were victorious two years later at the semifinals in Kumasi beating the Elephants 4-1. Their misery was further compounded by the 3-2 defeat at the hands of Algeria in Angola 2010.

The Ivorians will be led by their phenomenal captain Didier Drogba, a player who has twice won the English Premier League's Golden Boot for being the top goalscorer, and a two time African footballer of the year (2006 & 2009). In addition, he is also the all-time top goalscorer for the Ivory Coast with 50 goals. Drogba is one of several key players approaching the twilight of their careers. Players such as Kolo Toure, Arthur Boka, Didier Zokora, and Abdul Kader Keita might consider this to be the ideal opportunity to finally win a trophy at international level after the previous disappointments.

Didier Drogba is under pressure to finally deliver the Nations Cup

The Elephants possesses the requisite experience, players and the structure in place to mount a formidbale challenge at the Nations Cup. However the fact that they have failed to win the tournament despite being so close at the last three editions could ultimately prove to be a psychological barrier. They will look to Arsenla's Gervinho, Manchester City duo Kolo and Yahya Toure, and Newcastle United's Cheick Tiote among others to lead them to glory.

The Black Stars of Ghana
Winners: 1963, 1965, 1978 & 1982   Runners-up: 1968, 1970, 1992 &2010

Key Players: Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain), Andre Ayew (Olympic Marseille), Kwado Asamoah, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu (Udinese), John Mensah (Lyon), Sulley Muntari (Inter Milan)


The Black Stars of Ghana will go into the tournament in confident mood after their heroics at the 2010 world cup in South Africa. They were only denied a historic semifinal place courtesy of a deliberate handball by Luis Suarez and Asamoah Gyan missing the subsequent penalty, devastating an entire continent.

Much is expected of the Black Stars of Ghana

Prior to the world cup in South Africa, the Black Stars had successfully reached the final of Angola 2010 despite having the tournament's youngest squad. However they lost the final 1-0 to defending champions Egypt who completed a hatrick of successive Nations Cup titles.

A true continental giant, they will be hoping to close the gap on Egypt by winning their fifth title having won the tournament on four previous occasions (1963, 1965, 1978 & 1982). The fact that they  last won the tournament almost 30 years ago will further enhance their determination to succeed.

Asamoah Gyan & Andre Ayew could be at the centre of Ghana's bid for glory

The Ghanaians are quite a formidable outfit and they will command huge respect among the other nations. The Black Stars would have been regarded as overwhelming favourites had it not been for their Achilles heel, in other words their lack of genuine goalscorers. The problems of converting chances could be eased by the inclusion of Olympic Marseille's explosive young forward Jordan Ayew. They will be hoping the likes of Asamoah Gyan, Marseille's inform youngsters Andre and Jordan Ayew (sons of the legendary former captain Abedi Pele) can provide the goals in their bid to win the Nations Cup.

The Lions of Terranga (Senegal)
Runners-up: 2002    Fourth place: 1965, 1990 & 2006

Key Players: Moussa Sow (Lille), Demba Ba (Newcastle United), Pipiss Demba Cisse (Wolfsburg), Dame Ndoye (FC Copenhagen), Souleymane Diawara (Olympic Marseille),  Mohamed Diame (Wigan Athletic)

In spite of the fact that both Ghana and the Ivory Coast are widely regarded as the favourites, one cannot entirely rule out the Senegalese. They have successfully replaced their golden generation of 2002 which included the likes of El Hajj Diouf, Khalilou Fadiga, and Henri Camara among others. The current crop of players appear to be talented, determined and consistent.

The Terranga Lions of Senegal can upset the odds

The Senegalese finished top of a group that involved Cameroon to qualify for Gabon & Equatorial Guinea 2012, and judging by the number of goals they scored in the qualifiers  (sixteen goals in six games) one can reasonably conclude that they will be extremely difficult opposition in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Newcastle's Demba Ba is just one of the talented strikers at Senegal's disposal

There is no shortage of quality in the Senegalese team and there will be a plethora of Senegalese attacking talents on show. Such is the vast array of strikers that coach Amara Traore faces a difficult decision in deciding his strike-paring. The list of strikers includes; Newcastle United's Demba Ba, Lille's Mousa Sow (topscorer in the French League 1 last season with 25 goals), Wolfsburg's Papiss Demba Cisse (25 goals in the Bundesliga last season), Dame Ndoye (25 goals in the Danish League, and has just been named as the footballer of the year in Denmark), Mahmadou Niang, Durmansy Kamara and Manchester United's Mame Biram Diouf.

The Black Stars of Ghana and The Elephants of the Ivory Coast must surely regard the Terranga Lions as not only a decent opposition, but genuine contenders. Nonetheless, the fact that Senegal have never won the Nations Cup could eventually raise a few question-marks, but one must acknowledge that  "there is a first time for everything." Furthermore, they will be under less pressure as the the Ivory Coast and Ghana are widely regarded as the teams to beat. Irrespective of the outcome of Gabon & Equatorial Guinea, the current crop of Terranga Lions could be around for years to come.

The Panthers of Gabon

The Panthers of Gabon
Quarterfinal: 1996 


Key Players: Pierre Aubameyang, Didier Ovono, Daniel Cousin

The inclusion of the Mambas of Gabon as one of the favourites to win the forthcoming Cup of Nations will be a surprise to many fans, as they are neither regarded as a continental power, nor are they exactly brimming with talented players. However, they do possess the desired coordination, work ethic and teamwork to succeed at this tournament, and the fact that they are the hosts provides them with the advantage of playing at home and being cheered by millions of enthusiastic Gabonese fans.

Gabon's Pierre Aubameyang could be one to watch at the 2012 Nations Cup

While the players of the Mambas are not as well-known as their counterparts from Ghana, Ivory Coast and Senegal, they do possess a significant threat going forward with Pierre Aubameyang being their talisman. Goalkeeper Didier Ovono can often be an inspirational captain, while the experienced Daniel Cousin can be a vital strike partner for Aubameyang. With the exception of the 1996 African Nations Cup where they reached the quarterfinals, the Mambas have failed to progress beyond the group stage at the Nations Cup. Nonetheless, the current side can be a match for most teams on home soil, and should they get to the semifinals then they will fancy their chances of causing a major upset.


There are other nations with an outside chance of at least competing for the trophy such as Mali, Morocco and to some extent Guinea, but one does not realistically expect them to win the tournament. Morocco have always flattered to deceive at the Nations Cup, although they have the players to reach the latter stages.

Mali still posess some talented players such as Mahamadou Diarra, Momo Sissoko and Barcelona's Seydou Keita, but lack the required team-spirit to succeed at this tournament. Guinea will also fancy their chances of causing an upset having prevented the Super Eagles of Nigeria from qualifying for this Nations Cup. Regardless of the outcome of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea 2012, it is bound to be an enthralling tournement once again.