Despite missing out of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, Nigeria will be among the top 11 teams in Pot One when the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying draw holds in Johannesburg.
In the same pot with the Super Eagles are the five Qatar-bound teams including cup holders Senegal, Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia and Ghana along with Algeria, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire (hosts), Burkina Faso and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Expectedly, the Super Eagles would be hoping for a favourable draw in order to kick-start the team’s revival following recent setback at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon where the team was shown the xit in the 16th Round by Tunisia as well as the Qatar 2022 play-off ouster by Ghana.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said yesterday that Kenya and Zimbabwe will be included in the 2023 AFCON qualifying draw despite being banned by FIFA over government interference.
“We have included the two countries in the hope that the bans will be lifted not later than two weeks before the first matchday in June,” a Confederation of African Football (CAF) spokesman told AFP.
CAF have set a deadline of mid-May for the bans to be lifted or the countries will be barred from taking part. Should Kenya and or Zimbabwe fail to have the suspensions lifted, the groups they are placed in will shrink from four nations to three with the top two finishers still qualifying for the finals.
The first two qualifying matchdays are scheduled between May 30 and June 14, with two more rounds between September 19 and 27 and the final two next year from March 20-28.
Retired African stars Lucas Radebe, the South Africa centre-back who captained Leeds United when they were last a top-flight club, and Ivorian forward Salomon Kalou will assist with the draw.
A seeded draw will create 12 groups of four teams with Cote d’Ivoire taking part to gain competitive match practice, instead of relying on often meaningless friendly matches in the tournament build-up.
But Cote d’Ivoire will qualify wherever they finish in the group with the highest placed of the other three teams also booking a place at the finals.
Pot 1: Senegal (holders), Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Cameroon, Algeria, Mali, Ivory Coast (hosts), Burkina Faso, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo
Pot 2: South Africa, Cape Verde, Guinea, Gabon, Benin, Uganda, Zambia, Congo Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Kenya, Sierra Leone
Pot 3: Namibia, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Libya, Mozambique, Malawi, Togo, Zimbabwe, Gambia, Angola, Comoros
Pot 4: Tanzania, Central African Republic, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Liberia, South Sudan, Sao Tome e Principe
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
