Africa’s biggest football extravaganza, the African Nations Cup, will kick off over a few days in Equatorial Guinea. This tournament which was cloaked in controversy before it even started, will be held from 17 January to 8 February. After the withdrawal of Morocco as host country because of the possibility of the spread of the Ebola virus, Equatorial Guinea has agreed to host the tournament at short notice. After a long absence, the South African national team ultimately qualified for this tournament and Bafana Bafana will be trying to win back the coveted trophy for the first time since 1996. Four-time winners, Ghana, Algeria and Senegal have been drawn together with South Africa in the ‘Group of Death’ for the tournament. The four teams are housed in Group C. The quartet represents unarguably one of the strongest teams on the continent at the moment, making the group to be based in Mongomo, one to look out for. Ghana’s Black Stars and ‘Les Fennecs’ of Algeria were among the five African teams at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil last June, with the latter going past the group stage before losing out to eventual winners, Germany in round 16. South Africa on the other hand pulled one of the biggest surprises during the qualifiers, denying holders Nigeria the chance to make a successful defense while Senegal are enjoying a new breeze of life under Frenchman Alain Giresse. Hosts Equatorial Guinea was handed a seemingly balanced draw being paired in Group A alongside neighbours Gabon, regional rivals Congo and Burkina Faso. The group to be based in Bata, has three teams from the Central Africa, making it a pairing of familiar faces. Group B, to be based in Ebibeyin has 2012 winners, Zambia; 2004 winners Tunisia; and Cape Verde and DR Congo, who qualified as the best third-place team. Group D has 1992 winners, Cote d’Ivoire; four-time winners Cameroon, Mali and Guinea.