Key stories for the 2023 AFCON final: from Sébastien Haller's cancer comeback to Ademola Lookman's rebirth and Côte d'Ivoire's coach switch
Will the Elephants of Côte d'Ivoire or Nigeria's Super Eagles be crowned champions of Africa on Sunday? Find some of the main storylines ahead of the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations final below.
Football
Hosts Côte d'Ivoire will face Nigeria in the final of the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday (11 February)
The biggest prize in African continental football will be awarded at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan.
Nigeria's Super Eagles made it through after beating South Africa on penalties in a nail-biting first semi-final.
Côte d'Ivoire did not need extra time in their semi, defeating DR Congo 1-0 with Sébastien Haller scoring the winner 20 minutes into the second half.
It completed a remarkable turnaround for the Elephants who sacked coach Jean-Louis Gasset midway through the tournament.
Nigeria won 1-0 when the sides met in the group stages, with Côte d'Ivoire just making it through to the last 16.
The home team won their last of two AFCON titles in 2015, while Nigeria's third triumph came back in 2013.
Read on to find some of the key stories of the 2023 AFCON final.
The remarkable comeback of cancer survivor Sébastien Haller
In July 2022, Côte d'Ivoire striker Sébastien Haller was treated for testicular cancer, shortly after joining the Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.
Following two surgeries and four cycles of chemotherapy, the 29-year-old made his competitive debut for the Germans the following January against Augsburg.
Less than two weeks later, Haller had scored his first goal for the club.
Apart from a successful spot-kick in the round-of-16 penalty shoot-out win over title holders Senegal, the French-born forward had not found the net until his volleyed winner in the semi-final.
And just a year after his comeback from cancer, Haller will try and help the hosts clinch a third continental title.
Ademola Lookman (L) has been a key player for Nigeria at AFCON 2023
Ademola Lookman: The former England youth international in the AFCON spotlight
Ademola Lookman has been Nigeria's star man so far at AFCON, even with 2023 African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen in the squad.
The 26-year-old scored a brace in the round-of-16 against Cameroon, before bagging the winner against Angola in the quarter-finals.
Lookman has scored three goals so far, making him the biggest threat to Equatorial Guinea's Emilio Nsue (five goals) for the AFCON Golden Boot.
The Atalanta winger was born in England to Nigerian parents. He started his senior career in Charlton Athletic and played more than 30 games for England international age-group teams.
However, Lookman chose to represent Nigeria at senior level and made his Super Eagles debut two years ago.
As a 19-year-old, Lookman scored on his English Premier League debut for Everton in a stunning 4-0 win over Manchester City. After struggling to gain regular first-team football, he was sold to RB Leipzig before having loan spells back in the EPL with Fulham and Leicester City.
But his career has really kicked on since his move to Bergamo-based Atalanta, scoring on his Serie A debut and helping the side to fifth place and a spot in this season's Europa League.
Lookman has transferred his fine club form to the Nigeria shirt, and he will one of the key men for the Super Eagles in Sunday’s final.
Emerse Faé has turned around Côte d'Ivoire's disastrous start to AFCON 2023.
Can interim head coach Emerse Faé complete a home miracle?
Côte d'Ivoire's 2023 AFCON campaign started well enough with a 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau.
But they only just scraped through to the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams after a 1-0 defeat to Nigeria and a stunning 4-0 reverse at the hands of Equatorial Guinea.
Their progress was not enough to save coach Jean-Louis Gasset with Emerse Faé taking over on an interim basis after efforts to bring back former boss Hervé Renard from his role as France women's manager failed.
Faé said the team were "resurrected" by reaching the last 16 despite poor results, and they have not looked back since.
In the round-of-16, Franck Kessie's penalty four minutes from time levelled up their tie against reigning champions Senegal.
It went to a penalty shoot-out, and the Elephants took it 5-4 to make the quarter-finals.
There was an even later show this time as Simon Adingra scored in the last minute to force extra time against Mali. Penalties looked inevitable as the clocked ticked past 120 minutes, but were not required as Oumar Diakite found the net in the second minute of stoppage time.
There was less drama in the semi-finals as Haller's goal just before the midway point of the second half booked the Ivorians their place in the final.
This will be Faé’s fourth game in charge of the team who will again be roared on by the home crowd. And If his turnaround takes Côte d'Ivoire to the African title, their dismal start to the tournament will be long forgotten.