Caf's executive committee will name the host of the 2006 Nations Cup tournament at 1100 GMT on Thursday.

The competing countries - Algeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast and Libya will each make 30-minute presentations before the committee selects the winning bid.

With the competition acting as the African qualifying tournament for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the winning country would have home advantage in its bid to secure a qualification slot.

Egypt is the undeclared favourite, as a result of the flaws in the bids of other competing nations. The last time they hosted the competition was in 1986.

Ivory Coast, the only black African country in the race, is in the middle of a military rebellion and Algeria - acknowledged as having the best bid - is similarly stricken by civil strife.

Libya, the outside bet for the tournament, is regarded as a pariah state by the West and choosing it could have a negative effect on Caf's efforts to promote African football on the global stage.

Over the last year, the Libyans have made high profile links with Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who was the opponent of Caf boss Issa Hayatou in the Fifa presidential elections.

They have forged an alliance with Italian football and signed big-name players in the domestic league, most notably Cameroon's Patrick Mboma.

The feeling within Caf is that Africa's premier football event must not be put at risk by awarding the hosting rights to an unstable country.

"We are tired of looking at places where something is happening or could happen," said Caf executive member Ismail Bhamjee.

"I'm not saying that Ivory Coast doesn't have a chance. They have problems today, but they may not have problems in 2006."

"This [the Nations Cup] is Africa's showpiece so we want the best," Bhamjee said.