The 2021 African cup of Nations (AFCON) is scheduled to take place in Cameroon next month with a total of 24 nations set to participate in the competition.
The 24 nations have been grouped into six pools of four teams and will run from January 9 to February 6 2022.
TeamKenya will be taking you through an in depth analysis of each group and how different teams are preparing for the competition.
Group A
We first focus on group A which consists of Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Cape Verde.
The teams in group A will be camping at Cameroon's capital city, Yaounde and their matches will be played at the newly constructed Olembe Stadium with a 60,000 seater capacity.
Cameroon
Cameroon who are the host nation will be participating in AFCON for their 20th time with hopes of lifting the trophy at home.
The indomitable lions who are five time champions of the competition last lifted the trophy in 2017 being the second most successful nation in the competition.
The side is managed by Portuguese coach Antonio Conceiacao and has released the 40 man provisional squad that is expected to battle it out in the tournament.
Star players Vincent Aboubakar, Choupo-Moting, Christian Bassogog and Andre Onana are on the list which will be cut down to 28 players.
Cameroon and Burkina Faso will play the opening match at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde when the championship officially begins on January 9, 2022.
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso are seen by many to be the second most capable team in their group after Cameroon with this being their 11th time to participate in the tournament.
The stallions in 2017 finished the competition as semifinalists as they were bundled out of the competition by Egypt.
The team however did not participate in the previous 2019 edition in Egypt.
A key player who might miss the tournament is Bertrand Traore is yet to recover fully from a thigh muscle strain back in October 3.
The 26-year-old remains a key player for Burkina Faso and it is uncertain if he will be fit before their adventure at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Ethiopia
Following an eight-year absence Ethiopia finally qualified for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations after finishing second place in their qualifier group.
Ethiopia are described as the underdogs of their group after a first time participation in the tournament in 2013.
Ethiopia's team players are not the most popularly known squad however notably Abubeker Nasir is one of the rising stars.
The side led by coach Wabetu Abate will also be hoping that the likes of Dawa Hotessa, Ahmed Rashad and Manef Awol will impact the squad positively with their experience.
Cape Verde
Cape Verde are considered to be one of the strongest forces to reckon with amid the next month's tournament.
The team from North Africa will be participating for the third time in the tournament after their last appearance in 2015.
In 2013 Cape Verde shocked many after reaching the quarter finals in the competition as they debuted in the African tournament.
The team will be hoping that both Julio Tavares and Tavares Stopira will continue to shine after their outstanding performances in the qualifiers.