Among several coaching changes, two in particular have caught the eye.

Herve Renard, the only man to win Afcon with two different nations, has returned to the Ivory Coast job some 11 years after leading the West Africans to the title.

The 57-year-old Frenchman started his second stint with the Elephants at home against Ghana on yesterday in what was supposedly the standout match in the first round of fixtures.

In the opposing dugout, the experienced Carlos Queiroz is back at the helm after leading the Black Stars to the last 32 at the World Cup. However, Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus is among a number of players to withdraw from his squad.

Patrick Vieira is another high-profile arrival, as the 1998 World Cup champion with France takes charge of Senegal, the country of his birth.

The former Arsenal midfielder, 50, describes the role as “an absolute dream” yet he will begin with two away games against Mozambique and Ethiopia because Dakar is getting ready to host the 2026 Youth Olympics.

Cape Verde were one of the great stories of the 2026 World Cup, pushing Argentina all the way in the last 32 before the debutants lost 3-2 after extra time.

Long-serving coach Bubista has since resigned from the Blue Sharks hotseat, with his former assistant Humberto Bettencourt stepping up.

He will begin his reign in Mali on today before hosting Rwanda on Tuesday.

Algeria, Tunisia and South Africa have also changed coaches since the World Cup.

The Tunisians have turned to former Esperance and Renaissance Berkane boss Moin Chaaban as they aim to move on from their disastrous World Cup campaign which saw Sabri Lamouchi dismissed after one game and Renard fail to orchestrate a revival.

Pitso Mosimane has been reappointed by South Africa some 14 years on from his last spell in charge, which saw Bafana Bafana miss out on the 2012 Afcon, and Brahim Hemdani has taken over Algeria after Vladmir Petkovic’s departure.

Meanwhile, Afcon legend Claude Le Roy has returned at the age of 78 after signing on for a second stint with Congo-Brazzaville.

The Red Devils have not appeared at the finals since 2015, while Frenchman Le Roy is aiming to coach at a record-extending 10th edition of the finals.

Burkina Faso have turned to ex-Comoros boss Amir Abdou and, after a stint with Libya, 2021 Afcon-winning coach Aliou Cisse has his first competitive matches in charge of Angola.

The former Senegal boss starts with a tough away assignment in Egypt.

An era ends

Some big-name players have called time on their international careers since the World Cup, with several of them former Afcon winners.

Senegal are looking for a new number one after Edouard Mendy hung up his goalkeeping gloves.

The 34-year-old helped the Teranga Lions become champions at the 2021 and 2025 tournaments, even if the latter title is still disputed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Wing wizard Riyad Mahrez, who captained Algeria to the trophy in 2019, has quit international duty while Ivory Coast will have to cope without midfielders Seko Fofana and Jean-Michael Seri.

Ellyes Skhiri has also called time on his international career and will not be involved as Tunisia aim to reach a record-extending 18th consecutive Afcon.

Meanwhile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has stepped back from Gabon duty, saying he felt humiliated by his treatment after their exit at the previous tournament.

The 37-year-old was excluded from the national team set-up after their group-stage exit. That sanction was later lifted, but Aubameyang ruled himself out of Sebastien Migne’s Panthers squad despite his fine start to the season with Deportivo La Coruna.

Return of the Red Sea Camels

Elsewhere, Eritrea are back in the group stage of Afcon qualifiers, for the first time since the build-up to the 2008 edition, after seeing off Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round in March.

Chad, Djibouti, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe and Seychelles are the other five nations already eliminated.

However, seven Ertirea players absconded after the away leg of their tie which was held in South Africa.

Occurrences of Eritrean sportsmen and women failing to return home to what is a one-party state and a highly militarised society has long been an issue, and was part of the reason for the East Africans withdrawing from qualifying for both the 2023 Afcon and 2026 World Cup.

Yet the Red Sea Camels, who have been drawn alongside Kenya, South Africa and Guinea in Group D, are now largely relying on talent drawn from the diaspora.

Just three home-based players have been named in the squad for their opening two fixtures, which see them take on the tournament co-hosts in Nairobi on Saturday before a ‘home’ game against Bafana Bafana in Cairo on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Somalia have reached the group stage of qualifying for the first ever time but face a very tricky draw alongside Ivory Coast, Ghana and The Gambia.

The Ocean Stars are ranked 53rd on the continent but, like Eritrea, can at least dream of reaching Afcon as the tournament returns to East Africa for the first time since 1976.

Mikel Arteta has agreed an improved new contract with Premier League champions Arsenal.

The Spaniard’s current deal expires at the end of this season but talks over a new contract have been ongoing for a number of month.

And it is now understood Arteta has reached a final agreement with the Gunners to extend his stay.

There is no confirmation over the length of his new contract but it is set to take him into at least his 10th year at the club following his arrival in December 2019.

The new contract will also include a sharp pay increase from his current salary of £10m per year plus an additional £5m in bonuses.

Speaking about his contract talks, Arteta said last week that fans did not need to worry because he wanted to stay.

“I’m extremely happy and I feel very grateful to work with the people I work with,” he said.

News of Arteta’s agreement over a new deal at Arsenal won’t come as a shock, but it is a major development nevertheless.

The fact his existing deal expires at the end of the season did put a slightly greater emphasis on the speed of discussions than normal.

But Arteta has been transparent about his desire to stay at the club beyond the end of this campaign.

Dynasty building is what has driven Arteta’s decision. Winning Arsenal‘s first Premier League title in 20 years last season is viewed as just the start.

Coming within a penalty kick of winning their first Champions League trophy came as a gut-wrenching blow, but also a huge motivation.

With that in mind, there was never a sense Arteta was preparing to walk away from the team he has built to become one of the best in European football.

So with a deal for their manager to stay now agreed, the foundation of Arsenal‘s recent revitalisation into a footballing force remains in place.

England winger Bukayo Saka has said that the team are still carrying the “scar” of their heartbreaking World Cup semi-final exit to Argentina.

Thomas Tuchel’s team were on the verge of becoming the first England side to reach a men’s World Cup final since 1966, but were stunned by two late Argentina goals as they fell to a 2-1 loss.

A thrilling 6-4 victory over France in the bronze medal match gave the Three Lions their best World Cup finish in six decades, but the wait for their second trophy goes on.

“Obviously, there is still a scar on us when you believed and everyone was so united and so confident we could do it,” Saka said.

“Not just us, but the whole country we felt.

“You try to move on as soon as possible, but you know a scar is a scar, it decides to heal when it heals itself.”

England get an immediate reminder of what might have been as they host world champions Spain at Wembley tomorrow in the first of four Nations League matches over the next two weeks.

“We are trying to draw a line under [the World Cup] now and focus on the new international season that we have coming up,” Saka added.

“We have got four massive, difficult group games to try and qualify us for the Nations League [knockouts] that we are really focused on.”

Meanwhile, Saka believes it is only a matter of time before his Arsenal team-mate Max Dowman, 16, earns a senior England call-up.

“I think so,” Saka said. “His talent is insane. It’s up to him how far he is going to go in football. His talent is crazy.”

England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley concurred with Saka on Dowman’s amazing talent but thinks the youngster staying with the under-19s during this international window is the best option.

“He is more than capable of playing in the under-21s,” Carsley said.

“What I do think will happen with the age group he goes to is that he can play the minutes.

“He can also have that time to consolidate where he is in his career and play with his friends again and take that little bit of pressure off him.

“I have no doubt that Max is going to be with the under-21s.

“That is something I am keen to have a conversation with him and his parents, on the way we see his pathway going, because he is an amazing talent and someone we are very lucky to have.”