The Africa Cup of Nations is one of the most vibrant tournaments in world football. Housed in a continent as diverse, storied and vast as Africa, that shouldn’t be of any surprise. Over a billion people speaking thousands of languages across 54 countries each with their own distinct triumphs and tragedies.

Through the AFCON, each nation has a way of expressing its own unique cultures and traditions – post-colonial or otherwise. But at the same time, the AFCON is evidence of what a united Africa looks like in what has become a truly global tournament. Aside from the World Cup, very few competitions have the reach to bring together ballers playing in six different continents.

Despite this poignant backdrop, much of the talk surrounding the upcoming edition of the AFCON has come with a familiar – albeit lesser – tinge of disrespect.

There is an irony in all of this. The AFCON was established in the 1950s, at a time when African countries were gaining independence and Europe didn’t care about African football. But now European clubs have a vested interest in African players, there is pressure on organisers to make the tournament work for them.

While we are slowly moving away from a situation where the AFCON has to keep justifying its existence, there is still a palpable neglect of the tournament which prevents people from understanding what makes it so special.

It’s the way Alex Iwobi eats pounded yam and egusi on his Snapchat story to show the world he’s ready for the tournament. Flying the flag of his native Nigeria, feeling and looking more at peace than he once did in England where he grew up.

It’s about the lesser established African players looking to announce themselves on a bigger stage. To change their lives and their family’s lives. To answer their nation’s call and rise to greatness in one of the most important football tournaments in history.

Sometimes it’s even deeper than football. Africa is no stranger to conflict and in times of political unrest, the sport has proven to be the one great unifier on the continent. Just ask any Ivorian about how the national team stopped a civil war after World Cup qualification in 2005.

"AFCON demonstrates that Africa doesn’t need the rest of the world to thrive – that’s probably why it rubs so many people the wrong way."

The AFCON isn’t just a football spectacle. It’s an opportunity for African people to show how proud they are of their country. It’s a symbol for the good that the continent can accomplish when it comes together. But perhaps most importantly, the AFCON demonstrates that Africa doesn’t need the rest of the world to thrive. And that’s probably why it rubs so many people the wrong way.

The tournament isn’t perfect – no-one claims it to be. Its chaos is part of its charm. Where else would you get a 5 foot 8 inch defender in Chaker Alhadhur deputising as a goalkeeper in a knockout game against the hosts and favourites Cameroon? And actually play well?

Just because the AFCON operates outside of the wider football consciousness doesn’t make it any less deserving of our attention. If anything, it should make you want to indulge in all its emotion and commotion.

You’d be wise to tap in whichever way you can.

@AhmedShooble

To those who view football strictly through a European lens, the mid-season tournament is often seen as a scourge on the footballing calendar – a distraction to what many consider the main attraction. This directly affects the perception of the tournament outside of Africa and it's why legends like Mohamed Aboutrika and Aristide Bancé don’t get the adulation they deserve.

But the scheduling of the AFCON is not deliberately defiant. In fact, it places the welfare of its own players above the sanctimonious demands of the European game.

In 2019, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to move the AFCON from its January slot to the summer months to avoid clashing with European leagues. But in July 2022, CAF confirmed that the upcoming edition would revert to the winter months due to the sweltering summer conditions in the host nation of Ivory Coast. The 2019 AFCON was held in Egypt between June and July. The intense summer heat meant Ugandan player Denis Onyango was stretchered off during a game, players collapsed from dehydration in training and the overall quality and intensity of the football on show was under par.

"The flippant attitudes towards the AFCON also play out in the club vs country tug of war that precede every version of the tournament."

The flippant attitudes towards the AFCON also play out in the 'club vs country' tug of war that precedes every version of the tournament. January is a crucial part of many domestic league seasons, sandwiched between a congested festive period and the second half of the campaign where tables start taking shape and ambitions become much clearer. This has caused clubs, managers and sections of the media to actively and passively relegate the AFCON to a level below club football.

Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha, who won the cup in 1994, recently told the BBC that he knows of many coaches who refuse to sign African players because the AFCON is held during the domestic league season. In 2022, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentis said the club would not sign African players unless they agreed not to play at the AFCON, a stance which was criticised by former Napoli player and current Senegalese defender Kalidou Coulibaly.

Ahead of the upcoming tournament, AC Milan reportedly requested to delay the release of Nigeria’s Samuel Chukwueze and Algeria’s Ismaël Bennacer to both countries’ federations. The Algerian federation rejected the request while Nigeria accepted.