The tournament kicks off on Sunday, 21 December when the hosts take on Comoros at Rabat's Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium at 19:00 GMT. The pressure is on the Atlas Lions, who are Africa's highest-ranked nation at 11th in the world but have not won Afcon since 1976. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah, who is still looking for his first title, will hope to captain Egypt to a record-extending eighth continental crown after finishing as a runner-up at the 2017 and 2021 editions.
I chose to be here in Libya and start this project because from my very first meeting with the board members of the Libyan Football Federation I felt the willingness and how much they believed in me as a person and as a coach.