Africa Cup of Nations Day 1 1845: Albert in Portsmouth, UK, is another Ghanaian to get in touch. Ghana All the Way! I think the world can bet on Ghana to win the Nations' Cup this time. Go Go Ghana! 1844: El-Khatroushi is almost in on goal as he played through from midfield and as he looks to burst past the Equatorial Guinea backline, Rui Da Gracia times his interception to perfection a yard or so in the box and the danger is cleared. Not even a half-chance, but a step in the right direction... 1840: A quiet start on the pitch, despite the roars from the crowd for any positive Equatorial Guinea play, with no chances so far. In the dug-out, Libya's Brazilian coach Marcos Paqueta looks on - a man who more than earned his chance of coaching at the finals when he paid his own way to lead the team during qualifying - something he had to as revolutionary fighting decimated the country. 1837: Seven minutes late, the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations gets underway as Libya kick off the finals. 1836: Almost there... 1833: And now the Equatorial Guinea national anthem - the first time it has ever rung out at a Nations Cup finals venue. The crowd are in good voice as they sing along as well. 1831: The BBC's Matthew Kenyon reports that the players look as though they've had enough of the speeches, and the crowd looks similarly bored. Finally, it's time for the national anthems - and this is a proud moment for Libya as their new national anthem rings out. What on earth must football fans on the streets of Tripoli and Benghazi be thinking now? If you're following us online, do let us know and get in touch - by texting +44 7786 202 008 . 1827: President Nguema shakes hands with both teams as the final stages of the build-up near their end. 1823: President Obiang Nguema welcomes one and all to the finals, and voices his desire for the tournament to pass in peace - a poignant reminder after the deaths of two members of the Togolese delegation took centre stage ahead of the opening game of the 2010 finals. Security will be tight, Nguema insists. 1822: Kwaku has got in touch again from Chicago - and I only use his text again as he brings up an interesting point - the question of who will finish top scorer at the tournament. 'I predict Asamoah Gyan will score the most goals,' he says, but do you agree? What about any of Senegal's top strikers, Didier Drogba or Marouane Chamakh, say? For the record, the bookmakers rate Drogba and Demba Ba as the most likely to finish on top, with the Ivorian rated at 5/1 and the Senegalese 6/1. 1820: The teams come out of the tunnel and into the arena, with Caf president Issa Hayatou and the President of Equatorial Guinea, Obiang Nguema, alongside them. 1819: The BBC's Matthew Kenyon, inside the Bata stadium, says the remnants of fireworks are disappearing as the smoke clears from the pitch. It's a full house, with a terrific atmosphere, and the players are in the tunnel. We are minutes away from a finals which will hopefully unveil a new generation of African stars. And if you want to have your say on that, 1816: Sydney, a Zambian based in Sheffield here in the United Kingdom, texts in to rally his troops. Go chipolopolo - Zambia will win 2-1 tonight - show them how to keep the ball. 1813: Meanwhile, out on the pitch in Bata, a huge inflatable version of the tournament mascot - Gagui - has been revealed, while fireworks light up the evening sky. 1810: There was almost drama before a ball had been kicked at these finals, with Libya reportedly having threatened to boycott the opening match of the tournament. Associated Press says the Libyans forced the Confederation of African Football to change its website after African football's ruling body failed to use the new Libyan flag adoped since the revolution. Team media officer Fathi Aborzeza says Caf replaced the old green flag with the new black, red and green one just hours ago, so enabling tonight's opening game to go ahead. Lest we forget, the Libyan players say they are out to represent a new nation and have new colours (red and white) as well as a new nickname - the Mediterranean Knights. 1805: Lest I forget, Desire Doue Noumandiez of Ivory Coast will referee this opening match of the tournament, with the second Group A game taking place later tonight when Amara Traore's highly-fancied Senegal enter the fray. So many questions about which of their forwards the coach will select - with Demba Ba, Papiss Demba Cisse, Moussa Sow and Souleymane Camara all battling to join captain Mamadou Niang, who top-scored for the Teranga Lions in qualifying. 1759: So the reaction to the team news. After all the controversy over their policy of fielding naturalised players, Equatorial Guinea will start with a handful in their first Nations Cup match - Danilo (Brazil), Kamisoko and Konate (both Ivorian), Fidjeu (Cameroon) and Doe (Liberia). Juvenal is confirmed as captain in the absence of regular skipper Rodolfo Bodipo while that greatest of rarities, an Equatoguinean who has played for Real Madrid, starts in the shape of Javier Balboa. Libya , meanwhile, are captained by veteran goalkeeper Samir Aboud, with Ahmed Zuway leading the line, while there is also a place for midfielder Walid El-Khatroushi, whose life over the last twelve months has been truly extraordinary - having given up football to join the anti-Gaddafi rebels on the frontline. Ultimately, they persuaded him to return to the national team, saying this was where he would be of most worth to Libya. Is the stage set for him to do something special tonight? 1756: Kwaku in Chicago has texted in to wish the Black Stars a good tournament. Good to see the first of many African fans following this tournament from wherever they may be in the world. 1753: Libya line-up. 01-Samir Aboud (captain), 02-Rabea Aboubaker, 03-Abdulaziz Berrish, 05-Younes Shibani, 06-Mohamed Esnani, 10-Ahmed Osman, 14-Ali Salama, 15-Marwan Ahmed, 17-Walid El-Khatroushi, 19-Ahmed Zuway, 23-Jamal Mohamed. 1749: The line-up for Equatorial Guinea , who are making their debut at the finals. 01-Danilo, 03-David Alvarez, 04-Rui Fernando Da Gracia, 05-Fousseny Kamisoko, 06-Juvenal Edjogo (captain), 08-Iban Iyanga, 10-Ivan Bolado, 11-Javier Balboa, 12-Thierry Fidjeu, 14-Ben-Esono Konate, 15-Lawrence Doe. 1747: Well, the Nations Cup is full of surprises - and here's one for me. The fact that I have a team sheet with three-quarters of an hour still to go prior to kick-off. Personal experience of many Nations Cup recalls the fight to get hold of the line-ups with about five minutes to go, so this is most welcome. Team news to follow... 1743: Bara has texted in from Freetown, Sierra Leone, but appears to be Senegalese by the looks of it. Go, go, go our Teranga Lions. Expectations are high? Just bring the cup home for the first time. You can do it. 1736: The opening ceremony is underway in the Estadio de Bata, the Equatoguinean city on the African mainland which will host the opening game of the finals in less than an hour. It's a low-key affair according to the BBC's Matthew Kenyon inside the stadium, but organisers may welcome some calm after some chaotic scenes outside the stadium today. Tear gas was fired as supporters massed outside one of the gates to get in but there have been no reports of injuries and everything is calm now, our reporters say. 1732: As we build-up to the opening game, I want to hear all your thoughts on what you are expecting - and hoping for - from these finals. Are you going to miss the absence of the big guns or relish the opportunity to see new teams? And the big question, who are you tipping to go all the way? Will Ivory Coast's Elephants finally stand up and deliver? Or will Ghana's Black Stars win their first title since 1982? And what about the outsiders - are Senegal and Morocco the most likely to win it outside of the top two favourites? 1730 GMT: So here it is. The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in an hour's time - with 14 teams joining co-hosts Equatorial Guinea and Gabon in the finals. Defending champions Egypt are conspicuous by their absence, as are Cameroon and Nigeria, so leaving the stage clear for some countries to make their debut - namely, Niger and Botswana in addition to co-hosts Equatorial Guinea.