The final will be played at the Amahoro Stadium on 1 February

Eight teams are participating in the under-20 competition, and the four nations that reach the semi-finals will qualify for the Under-20 World Cup, to be held in Egypt in September and October.

All of the matches take place in the capital, Kigali, with two stadiums being used.

Rwanda play Mali in Sunday's opening game, then Ghana face Cameroon.

Group B begins on Monday, with five-time winners Nigeria playing three-time champions Egypt, followed by a match between Ivory Coast and South Africa.

The chairman of Rwanda's organising committee, Brigadier General Jean Bosco Kazura told BBC Sport about the country's expectations for the tournament.

We expect to host a well-organised competition Jean Bosco Kazura

"We expect to host a well-organised competition, and for Rwanda to win of course!"

Kazura also hopes that the tournament will help to change perceptions of Rwanda, which suffered from state-sponsored genocide in 1994.

"We hope our brothers will go around and see for themselves, some know we had problems in the past and people think of genocide, but I'm sure they will discover we are a peaceful and welcoming country."

Rwanda will take heart from the fact that Congo-Brazzaville won the 2007 edition as hosts, but the tournament features some strong teams and a few big names.

Ghana's Black Satellites have the son of Abedi Pele, Andre "Dede" Ayew, along with strikers Eric Bekoe and Ranford Osei, who was the second-highest scorer at the Under-17 World Cup in 2007.

The top scorer of that competition, Macauley Chrisantus, will feature for Nigeria.

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