ALGERIA
Winners 1990; Runner-up 1980. Qualified 13 times. Rabah Saadane has just taken charge of the team after the resignation of Belgian George Leekens, who resigned after the completion of the qualifying series. Algeria have not been able to replicate the heights achieved two decades ago but are increasingly adding French-born players of Algerian extraction to strengthen their side.

BENIN
Qualified for the first time. The west African country are one of the shock qualifiers for the finals, having pipped Zambia in their last game. Their progress comes despite changing coaches midway through the campaign, dropping Belgian Rene Taelman for Cecil Jones Attuquayefio, the former Ghana international. The 25-year-old striker Oumar Tchomogo, from French second division club Valence, scored five goals in the qualifying campaign.

BURKINA FASO
Qualified six times. Burkina Faso continue to strengthen their profile and have qualified now for a fifth successive Nations Cup tournament. French coach Jean-Paul Rabier was under considerable pressure to achieve but the eventually got through in a potentially difficult group, propelled by the influence and goals of Belgian-based striker Moumouni Dagano. He also received considerable support from the promising Dieudonne Minoungou.

CAMEROON
Winners 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002; Runner-up 1986. Qualified 13 times. The defending champions did not have to qualify but have shown their pedigree with a place in the recent Confederations Cup final in France, including victory over Brazil. It was an achievement marred by the shock death of midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe. Coach Winfried Schafer is slowly introducing new talent to his side, but still relies heavily on the experience of captain Rigobert Song and the goal scoring ability of Samuel Eto'o Fils.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
Winners 1968, 1974. Qualified 14 times. The country formerly known as Zaire continue to run a ramshackle administration but have enough playing strength to overcome their lack of consistency and organisation. Captain Shabani Nonda played little part in the qualifiers, seemingly frustrated with the way the team is run. Newcastle United's Lomana Tresor Lua Lua threatened to quit the side too, although he returned for the last group match at the weekend in Gaborone. The side is coached by Joseph Mukeba, but there are plans to get a coach from Europe to handle the side.

EGYPT
Winners 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998; Runner-up 1962. Qualified 19 times. Egypt extend their record for the most number of Nations Cup appearances, scoring 13 goals without reply in their last two group games to qualify. Yet there still remains considerable pressure on coach Mohsen Saleh, who might not yet take the side to Tunisia in January. Midfielder Ahmed Hassan is one of the survivors of the side that won the Nations Cup in 1998 and remains a key factor, complimented by controversial striker Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam.

GUINEA
Runner-up 1976. Qualified seven times. A talented side, who could pose some problems in the finals with their exciting line-up. Turkish-based Souleymane Youla, Bordeaux's Pascal Feindouno and the veteran Aboubacar Titi Camara make up a formidable attack. The side are coached by the Frenchman Michel Dussuyer. The Syli Nationale as the side is nicknamed, could have been contenders for the last World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea had they not been stymied by a political dispute. They were suspended by Fifa after the sport minister disbanded the football federation in January 2001.

KENYA
Qualified five times. Kenya won their first three qualifying matches to create a runaway lead in their group and never looked back to secure their first Nations Cup berth in 12 years. Coached by Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee, most of the players are locally-based but the Harambee Stars also rely on the influence of captain Musa Otieno, who plays in South Africa and midfielder John Mururi of Gent in Belgium. Kenya have also uncovered a teenage sensation in Denis Oliech, the 19-year-old forward, who scored three goals in the qualifiers and has recently secured a club contract in Qatar.

MALI
Runner-up 1972. Qualified four times. Mali were the last hosts of the Nations Cup, where they reached the semi-finals. Mali used much the same team for the 2004 qualifiers, where they edged out Zimbabwe on goal difference in group six. They are now coached by Frenchman Christian Dalger. The side includes exciting talent like Seydou Keita and Mahamdou Diarra, who plays for French champions Lyon. Mali will be hoping that Lens defender Adama Coulibaly recovers in time from his long-standing leg injury to feature in Tunisia.

MOROCCO
Winner 1976. Qualified 11 times. Morocco were unbeaten in their group and did not concede a single goal in an efficient performance by coach Badou Zaki's side. The side are coached by the former goalkeeper, who was at the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico. Zaki toured Europe last year and has uncovered several players with Moroccan heritage to add to his squad. Veteran defender Noureddine Naybet, from Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna, will probably lead the side in Tunisia in what is likely to be his international swansong.

NIGERIA
Winner 1980, 1994; Runner-up 1984, 1988, 2000. Qualified 13 times. A controversial penalty saved Nigeria from home defeat in their last qualifier against Angola last month and got them the point they needed to qualify. The close shave has added to the pressure on coach Christian Chukwu, who looks likely to be usurped by a high profile European in the next months. English-based midfielder Austin Okocha is the pivot around which the team operates, backed up by the goals of Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Nwankwo Kanu.

RWANDA
Qualified for the first time. The east African country caused arguably the biggest upset in Nations Cup history by beating Ghana in Kigali on 6 July to qualify. Their progress has come on the back of considerable financial support from the country's president, Paul Kagame - an avid football fan. Coached by Serbian Ratomir Dujkovic, their side has just four foreign-based players - all from the Belgian league. They are the St. Truiden pair of Claude Kalisa and Desire Mbonabucya; Pape Mayele of Lokeren and Hamid Ndikumana from Gent. Mbonabucya previously played in Turkey, while Kalisa was named as one of the top 10 footballers in the Belgian league this season.

SENEGAL
Runner-up 2002. Qualified eight times. World Cup quarter-finalists last year, Senegal are the in-form team in African football and will be among the favourites for the Nations Cup title in Tunisia. French coach Guy Stephan did not get off to a roaring start this year, with defeat in friendlies against Morocco and Tunisia. But the side's fortunes changed at the right time, getting wins over Gambia and Lesotho to secure qualification. The bulk of the side that went to the 2002 World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea is still in place, led by African Footballer of the Year El Hadji Diouf and the Auxerre midfielder Khalilou Fadiga.

SOUTH AFRICA
Winner 1996; Runner-up 1998. Qualified five times. South Africa came through a tough group to edge out the Ivory Coast for a place in the finals, finishing unbeaten and with just one goal conceded. Defence is the new strong suite of the side, but coach Ephraim Mashaba still has a problem with his foreign-based stars. The foreign legion were picking and choosing which games they want to play. He tried to deal with the problem by leaving them out, but needs players like Shaun Bartlett and Benni McCarthy if the country are to mount any serious challenge on the title in Tunisia.

TUNISIA
Runner-up 1965, 1996. Qualified 11 times. Tunisia will be hosting the finals for the third time but still seeking their first triumph in the continental championship. Former French World Cup coach Roger Lemerre has been brought in to direct their latest attempt and is rebuilding an ageing team, which proved disappointing at the World Cup in Japan last year. French-based midfielder Slim Benachour is the new hope of Tunisian football. Tunisia are better known for their defensive capabilities than their attacking flair.