By Farayi Mungazi BBC Sport

Mido is one of Egypt's key players

The next African champions? Egypt! Who else?

Before I get rambling e-mails from disgruntled fans of Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Cameroon et all, let me state my case for an Egyptian triumph on home soil next year.

The Pharaohs have not appeared in a Nations Cup final since beating South Africa 2-0 in final of the 1998 tournament in Burkina Faso.

Therefore, the one major advantage the team has is a hunger to regain its place among Africa's football elite.

And with a core of young and talented players parading their skills on home soil, I believe the Egyptians have what it takes to get there.

Egypt have an accomplished football history but are no longer at the forefront of the African game - in truth they are very much a side looking to rediscover their old magic.

It always takes something special to beat Egypt in their own backyard

As most pundits will acknowledge, a Nations Cup without Egypt is no Nations Cup at all.

This is because the Egyptians have a great record in this competition, appearing in 19 of the 24 tournaments to date.

Egypt won the inaugural African Nations Cup in 1957, and followed that up with victories in 1959, 1986, and 1998.

The Pharaohs are always one of the favourites and it always takes something special to beat them in their own backyard.

The Egyptians have two of the three Nations Cup editions they have hosted - in 1959 and 1986. Zaire were the party poopers in 1974 when they left Cairo with the trophy.

Reading this, some fans will undoubtedly point to Egypt's World Cup failure to argue that rather than be crowned champions again, the North Africans will struggle to get past the group stage.

Granted, Morocco are always formidable, Libya are improving thanks to enthusiastic investment by Colonel Gaddafi and the Ivory Coast are endowed with their finest ever squad.

No one disputes that the 2006 World Cup/Nations Cup qualifiers turned out to be a disaster which raised doubts about the Egypt's ability to compete with the best in Africa.

But Egypt win almost twice as often at home as they do away and go into the 2006 tournament with a team combining youth and experience.

Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam seems to have been around forever, scoring goals against some the best defences in Europe.

Although Mido's temperament remains suspect, he can change the course of a game at the drop of a hat.

Midfielder Mohamed Barakat almost single-handedly won the African Champions League title for Ahly.

An all-action player, full of running, the 29-year-old Barakat has the potential to become a sensation at next year's Nations Cup.

After their soul-crushing World Cup failure, the Nations Cup presents a perfect chance for coach Hassan Shehata and his troops to redeem themselves.