Hosts Côte d'Ivoire have started the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 2-0 victory against Guinea-Bissau on Saturday night.
The hosts broke the deadlock when Seko Fofana made a close-range finish in the fourth minute, assisted by Franck Kessie.
In the 58th minute, Jean-Philippe Krasso's classy close-range shooting doubled the lead of the Elephants at Abidjan's Stade Olympiq ue Alassane Ouattara.
The 34th Africa Cup of Nations will end February 11 in Abidjan.
Africa's football authority previously postponed the tournament to 2024 due to adverse weather in Côte d'Ivoire.
Strong contenders
The Round of 16 will start Jan. 27, with the quarterfinal and semifinal stages starting Feb. 2 and 7, respectively.
Egypt is the most successful country in the tournament, lifting seven titles, the last in 2010.
Côte d'Ivoire have been crowned champions twice, in 1992 and 2015.
However, they can expect intense competition over the next four weeks with a strong field notably featuring 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco, Mohamed Salah's Egypt, and Sadio Mane's Senegal, who are aiming to successfully defend the title they won in Cameroon two years ago.
This edition was initially supposed to take place last June and July in order to avoid a clash with the middle of the season in Europe, where so many leading African players are based.
$1.5 billion investment
However, fears over staging it during the rainy season led to the tournament –- which is the third edition to feature 24 teams -– being pushed back to its more traditional January and February slot.
The main focus for local organisers, and for the Confederation of African Football (CAF), is to make sure the competition unfolds without anything like the awful events that marred the last edition in Cameroon.
The legacy of that AFCON was scarred by the disaster at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, when eight people were killed and dozens more were injured in a crush and stampede prior to the last-16 tie between Cameroon and the Comoros.
The Ivorian government has invested around $1.5 billion in improving infrastructure to prepare for the tournament, and there will be some 17,000 police and soldiers deployed to ensure security.
