Ghana captain, Andre Ayew has described the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as the 'hardest tournament' in the world ahead of the latest edition.

Ayew is set to lead the Black Stars for their second continental tournament in Ivory Coast after his first in Cameroon where the team enjoyed a horrible campaign.

The Black Stars will be making their 25th appearance in the competition since its inception in 1957 and haven't won the trophy since last doing so in 1982.

According to the Le Havre forward, the biennial tournament is difficult to win compared to the FIFA World Cup.

"This tournament is even harder than the World Cup," he said during the team's farewell dinner with Ghana's president, Nana Akufo-Addo on Tuesday night.

"We know that it is the hardest tournament, for me, in the world when it comes to fighting, determination, and energy so the only way we can do this is by being together and being united, and for that Your Excellency, I can assure you that we are united and we want to do it," he added.

Chris Hughton's boys arrived in Abidjan on Wednesday, January 10, and held their first training session ahead of the start of the tournament on Saturday, January 13.