On the eve of the 2010 African Nations Cup, worries about Angola's readiness to host the tournament have given way to excitement in the streets, with the whole country counting down to kick off.
   
Red, black and gold Angolan flags are tied to cars and buses while street sellers snake through Luanda's traffic, their arms full of Angolan caps, t-shirts, wigs, towels and flags.
   
Slogans like "United by Football" have been painted in rainbow colours onto walls across the oil-rich nation, and a special set of 2010 Nations Cup postage stamps have been printed to commemorate the event which comes just eight years after Angola ended its bloody 27-year civil war.

Final rehearsals   

Local media is talking of little else, and all over the country organised fan groups are putting in the final rehearsals ahead of the host nation's opening game against Mali at Luanda's 50,000-seater November 11 Stadium.
   
Preparations for the biannual competition - staged in Luanda, Benguela, Lubango and Cabinda - went right to the wire with the four new stadiums only  finished in recent weeks and the new airport only opening on Tuesday.
   
"The conclusion that we arrive at is that the machine is finely tuned," said Manuel Mariano, spokesman for the country's organising committee. He added that the airport, hotels and transport companies were ready and waiting for the thousands expected to visit the Southern African country in the coming weeks.

Good feeling   

"Things are really hotting up here and the town is getting very busy. Everyone is talking about football and the CAN and there's a really good feeling.” Paulo Bernardo, a university teacher in Lubango, in the southwest of Angola said. "Since peace arrived, this town is growing so fast, there has been so much development and CAN is only adding to that," the 32-year-old added.
   
Ana Maria, 27, a mother of three, said she was going to the opening game in Luanda on Sunday. "I don't even like football, but I'm going with my husband and sons, for Angola."
   
Street vendor Luis Celestino, 28, added: "I think all the stadiums are going to be very full during the CAN. "This is the pride of Angola. Everybody together, a united Angola, without problems."
   
Angola's national team, known as the Palancas Negras (Black Antelopes) arrived in the country on Monday after training in Portugal, returning to a weight of expectation from home fans hoping for a good performance.
   
President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has been in power for 30 years, also personally visited the players during a training session to wish them the best for the tournament, staged for the first time in a Portuguese-speaking country.
   
The Nations Cup runs until January 31. Below is a breakdown of the different groups:      

Group A (Luanda): Angola, Mali, Malawi, Algeria
Group B (Cabinda): Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo
Group C (Benguela): Egypt, Nigeria, Mozambique, Benin
Group D (Lubango): Cameroon, Gabon, Zambia, Tunisia.

Photo: manbeastextraordinaire (Flickr CC)