Africa Cup of Nations record
Previous appearances in finals: (11) 1978, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017
Best performance: Runners-up 2013
Drawn in Group A with hosts Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands and Ethiopia.
Coach: Kamou Malo
The 58-year-old took over as national coach in mid-2019 and successfully qualified the country for the Cup of Nations finals at his first attempt. His son Patrick is part of his squad.
Key player: Bertrand Traore. Age: 26. Striker.
Traore became the third youngest player in Nations Cup history when he made a substitute appearance at the 2012 finals in Gabon aged 16.
He moved to the Chelsea academy from Bobo-Dioulasso and made his debut for the Londoners in September 2015 in a Champions League tie against Maccabi Tel Aviv. He was subsequently loaned to Dutch clubs Vitesse Arnhem and Ajax Amsterdam before being transferred to Olympique Lyonnais.
Traore, whose elder brother Alain was also an international, moved back to England in 2020 when he signed for Aston Villa.
FIFA world ranking Dec. 2021: 60
How they qualified: Top place team in Group B, ahead of Malawi, Uganda and South Sudan.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Herve Koffi (Sporting Charleroi), Farid Ouedraogo (Majestic SC), Kilian Nikiema (ADO Den Haag), Aboubacar Sawadogo (RC Kadiogo)
Defenders: Issoufou Dayo (Renaissance Berkane), Issa Kabore (Troyes), Patrick Malo (Hassania Agadir), Hermann Nikiema (Salitas), Soumaila Ouattara (FUS Rabat), Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen), Oula Traore (Horoya), Steeve Yago (Aris Limassol)
Midfielders: Adama Guira (Racing Rioja), Dramane Nikiema (Horoya), Ismahila Ouedraogo (PAOK Salonika), Gustavo Sangare (Quevilly-Rouen), Saïdou Simpore (Al Ittihad), Blati Toure (Eskilstuna)
Forwards: Hassane Bande (NK Istra), Cyrille Bayala (AC Ajaccio), Mohamed Konate (Akhmat Grozny), Fiacre Kouame (AC Ajaccio), Dango Ouattara (Lorient), Djibril Ouattara (Olympique Safi), Zakaria Sanogo (Ararat-Armenia), Abdoul Tapsoba (Standard Liege), Bertrand Traore (Aston Villa), Eric Traore (Pyramids).
