2013 stars to watch

Now the attention turns to South Africa, which will be hosting the event from January 19 to February 10. Will the host display resilience and precision to win the tournament on home soil as they did in 1996? Will Cote d'Ivoire, the perennial loser, yet tagged favorite, finally break the jinx and reclaim the title last won in 1992?

Champion Zambia will be back to prove that its win in Equatorial Guinea was no fluke. The Chipolopolo had previously only been runners-up twice in 1974 and 1994. But their win in 2012 has exalted them to giant status, a feat they will find hard to repeat.

Zambia will have both FC Utrecht forward Jacob Mulenga and holding midfielder Thomas Nyirenda, who were injured in the Equatorial Guinea tournament, back.

Southern Africa side Angola should also not be taken lightly. They reached the quarterfinals in 2008 and 2010 and will be keen to improve on those performances.

Coached by Lito Vidigal, they will have to heavily rely on Kali to marshal their defense with striker Manucho, Flavio and Djalma doing the damage to the opponents.

Ivory Coast must redeem their image and give their 35-year-old captain Dedier Drogba a perfect send off in his last Africa Cup of Nations. Drogba told MTN Football, "For me, as captain, what I can say is that we are going to arrive at the Afcon and give everything. And don't be mistaken, we also want to win the Afcon. As players, we want to win it for the whole of Côte d'Ivoire. Nobody will be more disappointed than us if things don't go as planned." The Elephants last won silverware in 1992, when Drogba was still an infant. He will partner Arsenal striker Gervinho, Manchester United playmaker and Africa's 2011 player of the year, midfield general Yaya Toure, his brother Kolo and a battery of other international stars. Africa's top-ranked team is tipped for a second title. However, The Elephants have underperformed in the past when expectations were high.

The Moroccans will also be out to grab the glory, with their last major victory in 1976, when they clinched the title. To help them do this their key players Houssine Kharja, Adel Taarabt (QPR) and Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh must shine.

With new coach Rachid Taoussi, replacing Belgian Eric Gerets, the Atlas Lions' have become weak of late. They have an outside shot at success with Kharja and Taarabt calling the shots.

Tunisia, like before, is the favorite going into the tournament. Champion in 2004, the North African Carthage Eagles need to soar high to meet the expectation of their fans. Midfielder Oussama Darragi and striker Issam Jemaa will guide the team's hunt for glory.

Tunisia's tournament will likely be defined by its opening game against North African rivals Algeria and Cote d'Ivoire, in what has been called the group of death. The trio wants to take advantage after three-time defending champion Egypt failed to make the cut.

Another perennial underachiever in the current generation is Ghana. The Black Stars return to South Africa expectant as they seek their fifth title, having been champions in 1963, 1965, 1978 and 1982.

But those victories are two generations back. Current players, in spite of their status, have failed to gel. Sulley Muntari, Andre Ayew, Asamoah Gyan, and Michael Essien are all in the team. Serbian coach Goran Stevanovic has since left and countryman James Kwesi Appiah is in charge.

Ghana must find the formula to end a 30-year title drought. Both Michael Essien and Kevin Prince Boateng, who missed the last tournament, will be back. Ivory Coast is favored but Ghana was third and second in the last three Africa Cups and was also a World Cup quarterfinalist.

Throw in Nigeria, Mali, Togo and host South Africa under the guidance of new coach Gordon Igesund, and this promises to be the most exciting tournament for some time.

Afcon 2013 Team Draw

> Pool A — South Africa, Angola, Morocco, and Cape Verde

> Pool B — Mali, Niger, Congo, and Ghana

> Pool C — Zambia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia

> Pool D — Cote d'Ivoire, Tunisia, Algeria, and Togo