The AFCON hosts, Ivory Coast have been pooled with Nigeria following the group stage draw for the upcoming continental tournament, which was held at the Parc des Expositions d’Abidjan on Thursday night.
The Elephants, assigned to slot A1 as a seeded team from Pot 1, had the misfortune of drawing Nigeria, arguably the strongest team in Pot 2. Group A will also feature Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau – with the latter team facing Ivory Coast in the tournament opener on 13 January.
Group C is arguably the ‘group of death’, with defending champions Senegal drawn with Cameroon, Guinea and Gambia, while Group B will see Egypt and Ghana renew their rivalry at the AFCON, alongside Cape Verde and Mozambique.
South Africa’s return to the AFCON is set to be a tough one, finding themselves in Group E alongside heavyweights Tunisia and Mali, as well as regional rivals Namibia.
World Cup semifinalists Morocco find themselves in Group F and will be pleased at having drawn DR Congo, Zambia and Tanzania, while Algeria are in Group D alongside Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Angola.
The AFCON will be played from 13 January to 11 February in 2024.
