The preparations have been made, stars profiled, venues set, teams' criss-crossed the expanse of the grandeur of the African continental landscape, pundits staked their claims and it is now down to the action when the first matches of the final phase of qualifying for Morocco 2015 get underway this week.
Dramatic headlines over the outbreak of the Ebola virus in some West Africa nations and search for new venues by Guinea and Sierra Leone, the retirements of superstars Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto'o and the heartrending death of Cameroonian Albert Eboosse, the legal skirmishes of Rwanda and Congo all now pave way for the anticipated top action of the heavyweights, the underdogs, rising stars and dawn of new eras as the race to Morocco sets off in earnest.
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