Making their 21st TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon are aiming for nothing less than three points when facing off against Guinea on Monday, 15 January in their opening Group C match.

The match set to take place at Yamoussoukro’s Stade Charles Konan Banny sees the five-time champions take on The Elephants of Guinea who are making their 14th appearance at the continental finals.

Led by former defender Rigobert Song, Cameroon are in search of their sixth continental crown, having last won it in 2017 under coach Hugo Broos who is with South Africa in this edition of the tournament.

With the 34th edition of the tournament being held in Cote d’Ivoire; Cameroon will be hoping the host nation brings a lucky charm to their search of an elusive sixth title.

Cote d’Ivoire is where Cameroon won their first ever TotalEnergies CAF AFCON title back in 1984 with a 3-1 win over Nigeria, and if history is anything to go by, the Cameroonians are set for an exciting tournament in Cote d’Ivoire. However, a tie against The Elephants sees them meet a highly spirited side that is not only making its 14thappearance but fell shy of being crowned champions in 1976 where they narrowly edged by Morocco in the final.

In the 2021 edition, coincidentally played in Cameroon, they reached the quarter-finals of the competition, proving that they are certainly no pushovers and are eager to make a name for themselves on the continent.

The 17h00 kick off promises to be an action packed affair in Yamoussoukro.

Meanwhile, 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. 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.”