Angola and Mali kicked off after an opening ceremony featuring a fireworks display that lit up a 50,000-seat stadium whose rims bend like the horns of the black sable antelope - the nation's national symbol.
South African President Jacob Zuma, whose nation will host the World Cup in June, attended the opening game where tens of thousands of Angolan fans dressed in the colours of the Angolan national flag - red and black - cheered for their team.
Both teams held a minute of silence for members of the Togo team who were killed in Angola's northern province of Cabinda by gunmen the government said were separatist insurgents.
"This is a group of people that have little or no coordination. We have increased security to make sure this does not happen again," said Antonio Bento Bembe, an Angolan minister in charge of Cabinda affairs who was once a FLEC leader.
But the mood among sports fans earlier on Sunday was high, as people made their way through the boiling heat along a 10-km (six-mile) stretch of road festooned with flags and banners with slogans reading 'Proud to be Angolan and 'Go Angola'.
"This is a day to remember. The whole world is watching and we know the tournament will be a success," said Landira Silva, 22, as she stood at the entrance to the stadium.
Angola's national team may have little chance of winning the tournament against African heavyweights like Ghana and the Ivory Coast. But its government and people have said they hope the country will improve its image abroad after emerging from a brutal three-decade-long civil war in 2002.
"I'm betting Angola beats Mali 3-1," said Joao Sousa, as he zig-zagged his way through the crowd to the main gate of the stadium. "I'm sure we will win."
