The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations draw was conducted at a glitzy, vibrant ceremony on Monday, with big hitters like Nigeria and Morocco getting fairly favourable draws, while others, like South Africa, will be trepidatious.
Let's be honest, with an expanded 24-team tournament, the opening stages of the competition don't hold the jeopardy they once did, where, in a field of 16, half of the teams would have been eliminated already before the knockout stages.
These are different times, with only eight teams eliminated after the first 36 matches have been played, and the four 'lucky losers' advancing to the Last 16 as the best ranked third-placed teams.
It hasn't always guaranteed that the big boys have been insulated from early exits, though. Ghana and Algeria have fallen at the first hurdle in the last two editions, while Tunisia were also found wanting last year after starting the tournament slowly.
Looking at the six groups drawn for AFCON 2025, where is there scope for an early elimination, which are the subplots to watch out for, and where are the crunch matches that you absolutely cannot miss come December's continental showpiece?
Group A
Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros
The Favourites: Morocco are hosts, were imperious while taking part in the qualification programme - scoring 26 goals across six matches - and boast some of the continent's most exciting players. Expect them to start as they mean to go on in the tournament curtain-raiser against Comoros on December 21. There will be goals.
The Outsiders: Comoros - the tiny islanders are contesting only their second AFCON, and are unfortunate to have been drawn against three other sides who won their qualifying groups.
Chances of an upset: This one is probably tougher to call than it looks on paper, with Comoros capable of interjecting themselves in a three-way battle to avoid first round elimination. They reached the quarters in their only previous appearance at the tournament, and having gone through qualifying unbeaten, they'll be ready to defy the sceptics once again.
The big match: Morocco have proved during qualification and at the Olympics that they're box office when they turn on the class, and in front of a raucous packed house in Rabat, each of their group games should offer entertaining fare.
How they contend with a rugged, physical Mali side on December 26 will be the best gauge of whether the great pretenders are genuine contenders.
Group B
Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe
The Favourites: Egypt have the pedigree and the talent, being able to call upon the fearsome trio of Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush and Trézéguet. They should prove too much for their three Southern African rivals.
For Bafana Bafana, the draw's harder than they would have liked, as Hugo Broos's side will now have to play two COSAFA derbies as well as gameweek two meeting with an Egyptian side who haven't been eliminated in the group since 2004.
The Outsiders: Zimbabwe. German head coach Michael Nees has forged a defensive rigour that hasn't always been a hallmark of the Warriors, although an ageing attacking unit - they're still reliant on 34-year-old Khama Billiat - may struggle to leave a dent. This is a side that was defeated at home by Lesotho as recently as June.
Chances of an upset: The presence of Angola and Zimbabwe certainly makes things trickier than they might have otherwise been for South Africa, who must now face two derbies against regional rivals determined to give their supporters reason for cheer. The 2024 bronze medalists should have enough, but there's little margin for error for Hugo Broos.
The big match: Impossible to look beyond Egypt vs South Africa in Agadir on Boxing Day, which is one of the six former winner-vs-former winner matches to take place during the group stage.
These two even contested the final in 1998, in Ouagadougou, when the Pharaohs denied Bafana Bafana the chance to win back-to-back crowns. South Africa gained a measure of revenge in Cairo 23 years later, when Thembinkosi Lorch scored an 85th-minute winner to dump Mohamed Salah's Pharaohs out in the Round of 16.
Gabriele Marcotti believes Omar Marmoush's arrival could mean the end for Jérémy Doku at Manchester City.
Group C
Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania
The Favourites: The Super Eagles, runners-up in 2024, can be delighted with a group-stage draw that gives them an ostensibly clear road to the knockouts.
The Outsiders: Tanzania. They probably wouldn't be here had Guinea been remotely competent during qualifying, although an open group should give a largely home-based side hope of a first ever AFCON victory.
Chances of an upset: Tunisia are at a particularly low ebb given their first round exit at the last AFCON and a troubled qualifying campaign in which they were beaten at home by Comoros and Gambia. Currently without a head coach, their state of disarray should give Uganda and Tanzania hope of stealing into the knockouts ahead of the Carthage Eagles.
The big match: The Tunisia who defeated France at the 2022 World Cup didn't turn up for the AFCON last year, and the North Africans' last memorable moment in a continental competition was their shock 1-0 victory over Nigeria in the Round of 16 in Garoua in 2022.
That unlikely win ended the Super Eagles' hopes - following a strong group stage - of restoring some pride after a miserable 2021, although ultimately they were made to wait a further two years before returning to prominence at the Nations Cup.
Their rematch here could be a turning point for two sides who have experienced what it's like to one of Africa's big underachievers over the last decade.
Group D
Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, Botswana
The Favourites: Senegal boast a strong, dynamic midfield, an experienced defensive unit and a variety of attacking threats. It should be enough to see them to the latter stages, even if rookie coach Pape Thiaw is entirely untested at this level.
The Outsiders: Botswana are the lowest ranked team in the entire tournament - currently 136th in the world - and a squad made up almost entirely of home-based players will find it tough to escape the group.
Chillier conditions in Morocco in the winter are unlikely to favour them either, although a 1-1 draw with Egypt in Cairo in November should give them reason for optimism.
Chances of an upset: Slim; the presence of the weakest of the Pot Four teams in Botswana gives each of the other three a golden opportunity to secure the victory that would all but secure their progression.
Don't expect Senegal to have things all their own way against Sebastien Desabre's blossoming Leopards or Benin and their wily head coach Gernot Rohr, however.
The big match: Sebastien Desabre's DRC finished fourth in 2024, and the French coach is seeking further evolution this time around. He wants the Leopards to bring back the glory days of the late 60s and early 70s, and victory over Senegal in Tangier on December 27 would be the kind of statement win that could propel a talented side to glory.
Group E
Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan
The Favourites: Algeria, they breezed through qualification, only conceding twice, and should relish an AFCON in North Africa. The combination of old and new in Riyad Mahrez and Amine Gouiri could be intoxicating.
The Outsiders: Sudan are the lowest ranked team in the group, although the presence of ex-Ghana boss Kwesi Appiah and an encouraging run in qualification - not least against the Black Stars - adds an element of unpredictability.
Chances of an upset: While Algeria surely won't be eliminated in the group stage for the third tournament running, there are banana skins everywhere here, from a Burkina Faso side who boast a genuine goal threat to Equatorial Guinea, who have demonstrated recently that they know how to take points from the 2019 champions. Even Sudan, fresh from dumping Ghana out of qualification, can be quietly confident.
The big match: Algeria and Equatorial Guinea have grown very accustomed to each other in recent years, with the latter among the architects of Les Fennecs' shock early exit in Cameroon three years ago.
A 1-0 win for the unheralded Equatoguineans in Douala sent the reigning champions into a tailspin from which they never recovered, and their reunion here will be a chance for the North Africans to truly banish those miserable memories of their infamous collapse.
This pair met during qualification as well, with Algeria winning 2-0 in Oran before the Nzalang Nacional held the heavyweights to a 0-0 draw in Malabo.
Group F
Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique
The Favourites: Ivory Coast won the title after a miserable group stage a year ago, and should be a much happier outfit heading into the next AFCON. As well as a squad with the muscle memory of winning the Nations Cup, rookie coach Emerse Fae should be able to integrate some talented youngsters - not least Amad Diallo of Manchester United - into prominent roles.
The Outsiders: Mozambique, who drew at home with lowly Eswatini as recently as October, and who have the unenviable challenge of opening their campaign against the reigning champions. They've never won in 15 AFCON matches.
Chances of an upset: Relatively high. Ivory Coast will be desperate to avoid the 'champions curse' that has befallen recent AFCON winners, with none of the last seven champions reaching the quarterfinals in their title defence.
Instability is rarely far away for Cameroon, particularly under the 'stewardship' of FECAFOOT president Samuel Eto'o, while Gabon have their own history of tournament fallouts and divisions within the camp.
The big match: On Christmas Eve, supporters will be treated to Cameroon vs Gabon - a genuine derby for these two Central African neighbours between whom there's no love lost. It's a match that will set the tone for the pair's tournaments, with each prone to imploding at major tournaments when circumstances start turning against them.
The Indomitable Lions and the tetchy relationship between head coach Marc Brys and Eto'o will surely be tested if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and co. start strongly.
Elsewhere, we have to mention the gameweek two showdown between reigning champions Ivory Coast and five-time winners Cameroon. On paper, it's the pick of all 36 group-stage games.