More or less two years after the start of the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, voilà number 34 in Cote d'Ivoire. Utterly logical for a biennial event – but in the wild, wacky world of African football, this one is late.
Edition 33 was moved twice. Once from June 2021 to January 2021 because of the adverse weather conditions in Cameroon and then from January 2021 to January 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Take 34 should have been played in June and July of 2023 – after the European domestic seasons – but that's the start of the Ivorian rainy season.
Seemingly surprised again by climatological verities, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) – which has been orchestrating the competition since 1957 – ordered the postponement.
And for sponsorship reasons, Caf power brokers have kept the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations moniker. And why not? It worked for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations In Cameroon.
Such dastardly liberties with the time-space continuum rarely unbuckle the players or the droves of fans who will, over the next four weeks, descend on two stadiums in Abidjan as well as spruced-up arenas in Bouaké, Korhogo, Yamoussoukro and San Pedro.
Cote d'Ivoire will launch the tournament on 13 January with the Group A tie against Guinea-Bissau at the 60,000 seat Alassane Outtara Stadium in Ebimpé.
Gala
Games against regional rivals Nigeria as well as Equatorial Guinea follow during the pool stages.
Ivorian boss Jean-Louis Gasset raised eyebrows in early January when he omitted striker Wilfred Zaha from the squad for the tournament but included Sebastian Haller and Simon Adingra who are both carrying injuries.
"It's a race against the clock for Haller," said Gasset. "The medical teams told me he needed three to four weeks before he could play again. He was injured on 15 December but I'm willing to take the risk for a player like him.
"Haller is a leader," added Gasset. "He is Cote d'Ivoire's main striker and I'm willing to do my utmost for a man like him."
French-born Haller's haul in 21 games for the land of his mother? Eight goals.
But even though half of that tally has come in six games in 2023, Gasset, who was appointed in May 2022 to replace Patrice Beaumelle, appears to be taking a huge risk with a team expected to satisfy the fervour of the partisans and progress to a third title to add to the crowns from 1992 and 2015.
Quest
Defending champions Senegal should be among the obstacles to that quest for glory along with Egypt who lost in the final in Yaoundé.
Egypt striker Mo Salah, who was also part of the Egypt team that went down to Cameroon in the 2017 final, said he had no regrets about leaving Liverpool's title tilt in England to play in Africa.
"It's a great feeling every time you step on the field with the national team jersey," said the 31-year-old.
"It's something I cannot take for granted. I am just happy to be there, happy to play in the tournament. I would love to win the Cup of Nations."
Such success would extend Egypt's record to eight titles and their first since 2010 when Hassan Shehata and his teams completed an unprecedented hat trick of championships.
Structure
Only 16 teams competed in those days. Since 2019, 24 sides have been vying for the continent's most prestigious national team honour.
Under the new format, the top two from each of the six groups advance automatically to the last-16 along with the four best third-placed teams.
From then, it's a knockout. If the match remains tied after the regulation 90 minutes and 30 minutes of extra-time, cue the squeezed faces and savage beauty of the penalty shoot-outs.
Morocco eliminated Spain via such sinew-wrenching drama during the last-16 at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and enter the 2023 Cup of Nations as Africa's top ranked outfit.
Walid Regragui's side sit 13th in the Fifa lists mainly due to their exploits in the Middle East where they became the first team from Africa to reach the last four.
Change
"We've gone from being considered outsiders to being one of the teams to beat," said Regragui. "For us it's going to be how we handle that pressure mentally.
"We saw it just after the World Cup. The African teams that we played showed a lot more desire and motivation and that was logical because we were the top team on the continent and we had a bigger reputation outside Africa as well.
"That's good for the players and for me as a coach," added Regragui.
"We're in a situation where we are feared as a team. And we've got to work to keep that fear factor going.
"In this competition I want to see which players have got the heart and stomach to bear this pressure."
Youssef En-Nesyri may well be top of his list. The Seville forward displayed his customary bristle in the final pre-tournament friendly by bagging a brace in the 3-1 victory against Sierra Leone. Sofiane Boufal - one of the stars of the surge to the semis in Qatar - scored the other.
Tanzania, who at 121 in the Fifa world rankings lie only six places about Sierra Leone, should pose few problems in Morocco's opening Group F game on 17 January in San Pedro.
Tougher matches against Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia will test their mettle. It would be a shock though if Morocco were not to progress to the latter stages.
"The squad has the men to do so," said Regragui. "There's a good blend of experienced players and some youngsters. We're all in a situation where we've got to live up to our new status."
A crown to add to the 1976 triumph would not only burnish Regragui's legend but also set up the script rather adroitly for the team to be defending champions at the Africa Cup of Nations in June 2025 in Morocco.
Weather permitting, of course.
