AFCON 2023 draw: Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon get tricky opponents

The body governing football in Africa, CAF have confirmed the draw for the 2023 African Cup of Nations which will be hosted in Cote D’ Ivoire.

World Cup semi-finalist, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, and host nation, Cote D’Ivoire were placed in Pot 1 in the draw which was held in Abidjan on Thursday, October 12, 2023.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Congo were placed in the second pot while South Africa, Cape Verde, Guinea, Zambia, Mauritania and Equatorial Guinea were placed in the third Pot. The final pot includes Gabon, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Gambia and Tanzania.

By Ademola Bashorun

The 24 participating teams were zoned into six groups of four teams each as the competition gets underway on January 2024. The two teams with the highest number of points in each group, alongside the four best losers from the remaining 12 teams will qualify for the round of 16.

How are the countries grouped?

Group A: Cote D’ Ivoire, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau

Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique

Group C: Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, The Gambia

Group D: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola

Group E: Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia

Group F: Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania

When will the tournament kick-off?

The opening fixture of the competition kicks start on January 13, 2024, while the final game will be played on February 11, 2024.