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When does the Africa Cup of Nations start? All you need to know ahead of the AFCON 2015

It's party time: But can Ivory Coast finally win their first Africa Cup of Nations title since 1992? - Lars Baron - FIFA

Algeria and Ivory Coast lead the betting, after current holder Nigeria failed to qualify for the tournament in Equatorial Guinea.

It’s party time: But can Ivory Coast finally win their first Africa Cup of Nations title since 1992? – Lars Baron – FIFA

It’s that time again – the bi-annual African footballing extravaganza is upon us.

The continent’s top stars have taken a hiatus from representing their clubs around Europe, and will descend on Equatorial Guinea to battle it out for the biggest prize in African football.

The run up to the tournament has been blighted by uncertainty, when original hosts Morocco took the decision to withdraw from staging the event due to the Ebola outbreak.

Equatorial Guinea stepped in, and now tongues are wagging as to who will lift the title. Will Yaya Toure lead the Ivory Coast to success? Or will favourites Algeria step up to the plate to take the prize?

With not long to go until we find out, here is everything you need to know ahead of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

When does it take place?
The Africa Cup of Nations takes place between January 17 and February 8 2015.

The opening match will be between the hosts Equatorial Guinea and Congo.

Where is it taking place?
The competition is being held in Equatorial Guinea, one of the joint-hosts of the 2012 event, alongside Gabon.

They took the hosting duties off Morocco, who pulled out of the competition due to fears over Ebola.

Controversially, Equatorial Guinea have now qualified automatically in the first spot in Group A due to being hosts, but they were previously disqualified from the event.

They fielded an ineligible player which lead to them being kicked out of the competition, but they have been allowed back in primarily for their hosting rights.

Where can I watch the competition?
Main TV rights for the competition have been won by ITV4, who will be showing every single game live with full punditry.

You can also catch up with all the action on British Eurosport, with games being shown on both of their UK channels.

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