The tournament takes place from January 20 to February 20.
- In total, the 368 players at the tournament are drawn from 209 clubs in 46 countries.
- Players from clubs in 17 African countries and 22 in Europe are also joined by internationals based in the Middle East, Mexico and the USA.
- French clubs again lead the way in providing players to the 16 competing countries. A total of 58 French-based players, drawn from 26 clubs, have been named to compete in the tournament.
- English-based clubs will provide a total of 42 players with Newcastle United matching French clubs Nice and Le Mans in losing five players.
- A total of 29 players are drawn from South African clubs, but the numbers from Belgium and Portugal, who have consistently provided at past tournaments, are down.
- Top clubs like Barcelona, Benfica, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid and German champions VfB Stuttgart are represented, as are the likes of Accrington Stanley, Swiss amateur team FC Bagnes and Red Star from the fourth tier of French football.
- The tournament sees players from clubs in all but one of the 16 competing countries, with Senegal the exception.
- All Sudan's 23 squad members are home-based, drawn from just two clubs in what is an anomaly for modern-day African football. Sudan champions Al Hilal provide 12 players and cup winners Al Merreikh 11.
- Four players are unattached, hoping the Nations Cup will provide a shop window for further employment. They include Senegal captain Lamine Diatta, who has just had his contract with Turkey's Besiktas cancelled.
- The oldest player at the tournament is Benin defender Alain Gaspoz, who will turn 38 in May. The youngest is the 17-year-old Zambian striker Emmanuel Mayuka, one of nine teenagers named for the Nations Cup.
But, as in previous tournaments, there appear to be some changes in the dates of birth of players.
Ghana's first-choice goalkeeper Richard Kingson, who plays for Birmingham City, gave the year of his birth as 1975 when he competed at the 1998 finals in Burkina Faso and the 2000 tournament which Ghana co-hosted with Nigeria. Official documentation provided by the Ghana Football Association to the Confederation of African Football this week showed that Kingson was born in 1978. - Reuters
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