Group D
Ivory Coast
Tunisia
Algeria
Togo
Group D boasts some of the strongest teams at the 2013 edition of the competition. On paper, Ivory Coast are a shoo-in to progress to the knock-out stages, with Algeria the slight favourites to win the squabble for the other qualifying berth.
African football's perennial underachievers, Ivory Coast, will be desperate to make amends for their defeat to Zambia in the 2012 AFCON finals which was ultimately decided on penalties.
This could also be Didier Drogba's last chance to claim the trophy. The former Chelsea striker will be 36 years old when the next tournament kicks off in 2015, and as the captain of Les Elephants, he will undoubtedly be doubly determined to lead his country to victory in South Africa.
AFCON 2012's losing finalists have an astonishing amount of quality at their disposal, with almost all of their players plying their trade in one of Europe's top leagues. They have a good blend of experienced, established campaigners and promising young stars.
Sitting at number 15 on the latest FIFA rankings, Cote d'Ivoire are the highest-placed African team at the tournament while Algeria are not too far behind, sitting in 19th - sandwiched between France and Belgium.
Algeria did not qualify for the 2012 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, but they will be encouraged by the fact that they got the better of Ivory Coast in 2010.
The Fennec Foxes defied the odds to progress to the quarter-finals, pipping Mali to a second-place finish in Group A to set up a quarter-final clash with Drogba's men. They went on to record a 3-2 victory after extra time in Cabinda, with their reward a semi-final clash with eventual winners Egypt in Benguela.
While Tunisia and Togo are not as high up on the questionable FIFA rankings as Ivory Coast and Algeria, they do have notable pedigree in the African showpiece.
Tunisia, nicknamed the Eagles of Carthage, will be looking to improve on their performance in the 2012 edition where they lost to Ghana in the quarter-finals.
The North African outfit won the tournament for the first and only time in 2006 as host nation, defeating Morocco 2-1 in the final. However, they have struggled to replicate that feat in subsequent years.
Tunisia made it to the quarter-finals stage in the three of the four tournaments that followed, but finished bottom of their group in 2010.
Togo must surely be considered the weakest team in the group due to their lack of meaningful pedigree in the competition. The recent news that top scorer Emmanuel Adebayor has retired - again - from international football is also a major blow to their aspirations.
The Sparrow Hawks have never progressed from the group stages, while they withdrew from the competition in 2010 after an armed attack on their team bus left three people dead and nine others injured.
Head coach Didier Six has a relatively young squad at his disposal, with only three of his players over the age of 30. However, the lack of high-profile stars could work in Togo's favour. There is no doubt that the youngsters called upon to do duty for their country will relish the opportunity to make a name for themselves in South Africa.
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