More than 40 soccer teams from across Africa this weekend join the race for one of the prize slots in the 2010 World Cup and in the African Cup of Nations finals.
Egypt's Pharaohs, the defending continental champions, will face the Democratic Republic of Congo's Simbas. DRC coach Patrice Neveu of Belgium has called up the team's most valuable players, including Shabani Nonda and Tresor Lualua. Egypt's best player in the last Cup of Nations tournament in Ghana, Mohamed Abu Traika, will miss the opener due to injury.
Nations Cup runner-up Cameroon will host Cape Verde, potentially a rising star, in Yaounde. Fresh blood has been infused into Cameroon's Indomitable Lions with the addition of six younger players. Superstars Samuel Eto'o, Rigobert Song and Geremi Njitap will form the core of the team.
Freshly returned from Japan, where they represented Africa at the Kirin Cup, Côte d'Ivoire's Elephants will battle Mozambique at home. After a disappointing exit from the previous tournament, Didier Drogba and the rest of the team now have to restore the confidence of their supporters. The outing will also be the first test of their new coach, Vahid Halilhodzic of Bosnia.
Nigeria's Super Eagles seem to have given up on foreign coaches after Berti Vogts of Germany failed to impress in Ghana. The new bosses are Shaibu Amodu and Daniel Amokachi, himself a former great. Their task is important, because they will play against World Cup hosts South Africa. SA's Bafana Bafana, who just hired a new coach, will fly to Abuja for what is expected to be the weekend's top fixture.
After a poor showing in Ghana, Morocco's Atlas Lions will try to restore their credibility against Ethiopia in Casablanca. They haven't been able to qualify for the past two World Cup tournaments.
Senegal's Teranga Lions also dumped a European coach for a national after their untimely exit from Ghana 2008. The new coach, Lamine Ndiaye, now has to impose discipline on a team known for scandal-prone behavior. Their adversary, Algeria, is no minnow.
The question for Ghana is whether they will survive the separation from Claude Leroy, their former coach. Nevertheless the Black Stars have the advantage of home turf at Kumasi Stadium, so their adversary, Libya, had better come prepared.
In an unusual move, Ghana's capital, Accra, will host the Togo match against Zambia. Fifa suspended Kegue Stadium in Lomé, Togo's capital, after Malian players were treated poorly by local fans. Mighty Zambia held their ground against top seed Egypt in Ghana recently, hinting that the team's may have started a revival.
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Angola's Palancas Negras will play Benin's Squirrels at home in Luanda. Coach Luis Oliveira Goncalves was highly praised during Ghana 2008. All eyes will be on the team's top scorer, Manucho. Benin beware!
Tunisia refused to re-hire coach Roger Lemerre after its disappointing performance in Ghana, but he will have to stay until his contract expires in June. The Carthage Eagles will battle it out against Burkina Faso's Stallions in Tunis. With nothing to lose, Lemerre is taking risks by lining up younger players. Will it pay off?
Small Teams Aiming High
Needless to say, small teams are a thing of the past in African soccer. Gambia, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Botswana, Sudan and even Burundi are some of the traditionally "small" teams to watch out for.
Gambia's Scorpions, champion amongst Africa's junior teams in 2005, will be on a perilous trip to Liberia.
The highly-anticipated contest between eternal rivals Chad and Sudan will finally not take place, the two countries having broken diplomatic relations.
Rwanda's Amavubis are moving closer to the African elite. They will fight it out in Kigali against Mauritania.
Botswana, the country that has experienced the most progress on the continent, will play against Madagascar, while Tanzania and Namibia, who aspire to more recognition, will receive Mauritius and Kenya respectively. Uganda's Cranes will face Niger.
Many of these "small" teams will try to take advantage of the Cup of Nations finals for the possibility of a shot at the World Cup. They would like to democratize the competition. However, the teams must first make it to Angola before they can dream more expansively.
