Nickname: The Elephants
Previous Appearances: 21 (1965, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015)
Best Finish: Champions (1992 and 2015)
Who are they?
Côte d’Ivoire are a genuine African football force and current defending champions. Although they underachieved for years with their so-called Golden Generation, they still finished runners-up twice, and third four times. The Elephants appear to have rebuilt and have the makings of another Golden Generation.
Route to Qualification
The Elephants unconvincingly finished top of Group I which consisted of just three teams. Worryingly, they failed to neither convince nor sparkle, winning just the solitary game against Sudan and drawing the other three.
Definition of Success
Nothing but a repeat of their title-winning heroics will do for fans back home.
Biggest rivals
Nothing will give the Ivorians greater satisfaction than to meet and defeat Egypt, who denied them the title in 2006.
Top three players
Serey Die, Midfielder, FC Basel
The all-action midfielder leads the team from the middle after being saddled with the responsibility of team captain in the absence of the injured Gervinho. At 32, Die is a latecomer to international football, only making his debut in 2013 and winning the Nations Cup at his first try.
Salomon Kalou, Striker, Hertha Berlin
One of the more experienced members of the team who at age 31 has gathered 83 caps and scored 28 goals since making his international debut in 2007. He often operates from the wings, where he utilises his pace, skill and strength to get into dangerous scoring positions to set-up himself and teammates. A top player to have in the team considering the number of titles he has won over the years.
Serge Aurier, Defender, Paris Saint-Germain
The full-back/wing-back is constantly marauding down the right flank and has set-up countless assists for teammates. Forget his off-field problems in 2016, he is world class as evidenced by his recent ratings by being the only African to make the FIFPro World 11.
Who brings the African league flavour?
Sylvain Gbohouo
First-choice goalkeeper who plays on the continent for giants TP Mazembe. At 28 he has gathered enough experience playing club football and his expertise will come in handy when the Elephants begin their title defence.
How far will they go?
Semifinal. They have shown a lack of consistency since their triumph barely 22 months ago and failed to convince in qualifying. They will have to dig deep to qualify as a potential last eight clash against either Ghana, Egypt or Mali could well end their participation at the tourney.
By Colin Udoh/KweseSports
@ColinUdoh on Twitter
