Co-hosts Equatorial Guinea will open the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations finals when they entertain Libya at the newly-renovated Estadio de Bata on Saturday evening (kick-off 18h30 GMT).
It will without doubt be the greatest moment in the history of Equatorial Guinea football, which has plenty to prove after their shambolic build-up to the finals that saw veteran coach Henri Michel walk away, for the second time, just three weeks before the competition.
For Libya it will be an emotional moment too, coming so soon after the turbulent civil war that engulfed that country and deposed despotic leader Muammar Gaddafi, under whose rule many of the players had suffered hardships.
Perhaps for both sides it will be a relief to get the football under way, with so many side issues being discussed in the build-up to the tournament that they have scarcely been able to concentrate on just playing.
Equatorial Guinea replaced Michel with the Brazilian Gílson Paulo, who signed a short-term deal for this tournament alone. Usually he acts as sports director at the academy of Brazilian club Vasco da Gama.
He took over the reins only on January 2 and faced a warm-up match against South Africa just a few days later, in which the overly physical 'Nzalang Nacional' managed to escape with a 0-0 draw.
The squad is made up largely of players born in either Spain or Brazil, almost half to be exact, as well as other 'mercenaries' from Cote d'Ivoire and Cameroon. National pride might be in short supply.
But there will certainly be money on offer from the oil-rich government, with state television suggesting the squad will share a U.S. $1.7-million bonus if they win this game against Libya alone.
Their chances of getting out of Group A, which also includes Senegal and Zambia, are slim, but if they are to do so, a win in the opener is surely a must.
While Equatorial Guinea won their place in the competition automatically as hosts, Libya earned theirs with some heroic displays built around organisation and a high work-rate.
They too have a Brazilian coach in the person of Marcos Paqueta, who has made sacrifices of his own, going without a salary for nine months during the conflict in the country and wondering if he would be able to carry on with the qualification campaign.
He drew heart from the recent 1-0 loss to Cote d'Ivoire in a friendly in Dubai, and says getting out of the pool remains the number one goal for the side. Anything after that is a bonus.
