Senegal

Since Egypt's historic triple win in 2006, 2008, and 2010, none of the defending champions of the Africa Cup of Nations have managed to win back-to-back titles in the following edition. But after their first-ever victory in 2021, and after reaching two consecutive finals, Senegal dreams of ending this curse. With Sadio Mané, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Idrissa Gueye, and Ismaïla Sarr among their ranks, the Lions of Teranga seem equipped to achieve this feat after remaining unbeaten during the qualifiers.

Morocco

As the first African nation to reach the semifinals of the World Cup a few months ago in Qatar, Morocco hopes to confirm its success on the African stage. Since their sole title win in 1976, they have failed to secure another Africa Cup of Nations trophy. Nevertheless, they possess assets that make them one of the top favorites. As for FIFA rankings (13th), Morocco is positioned highest among all participating teams and will present a squad filled with players who excel at leading clubs such as Achraf Hakimi, Yassine Bounou Sofyan Amrabat Youssef En-Nesyri and Hakim Ziyech.

Côte d'Ivoire

On paper, Côte d'Ivoire remains slightly below Senegal or Morocco. However one cannot neglect playing at home as an advantage for the host country. Especially since Ivorians have a revenge to take after being eliminated by Egypt on penalties (0-0 AET; 4-5 penalties) during last year's edition in 2021 at Round-of-16 stage). Led by Jean-Louis Gasset, the Elephants can rely on their experienced players such as Ibrahim Sangaré, Franck Kessié, Jonathan Bamba, Seko Fofana and Sébastien Haller.

Algeria

Algeria is somewhat of a question mark in this Africa Cup of Nations. Capable of both excellence and disappointment, it is difficult to predict which face Algeria will show. After their victory in 2019, the Fennecs suffered a brutal reality check with an early group stage exit in 2021 and failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. However, Djamel Belmadi has quality players at his disposal to rectify the situation, including dual-nationality players Houssem Aouar and Amine Gouiri.

Egypt

Do not underestimate Egypt. With seven titles, they are by far the most successful team in Africa Cup of Nations history. Although their last victory was in 2010, they reached the final in both 2017 and 2021 (losing on penalties to Senegal). Their squad may be less flashy than their competitors', but they have a player like Mohamed Salah who is undoubtedly motivated to win his first Africa Cup of Nations title.