THE AFCON 2023 QUALIFIERS DRAW COMPLETED.

The Draw for the Group Stages of the Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON) 2023 has been completed today at the SuperSport Studios in Johannesburg South Africa, and the event was hosted by Thomas Mlambo.

48 teams to slug it out in 12 groups of four teams each.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria were drawn in Group A and will battle Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, and SAO Tome/Mauritius.

Current holders Senegal are in Group L with Benin Republic, Mozambique and Rwanda.

These were revealed in the draw conducted Tuesday by CAF Director of Competitions Samson Adamu and assisted by African football legends Lucas Radebe of South Africa and Ivorian Solomon Kalou.

Nigeria failed to get past the Round of 16 in the last edition of the tournament played earlier this year following a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Tunisia in Garoua Cameroon.

As compared to the Super Eagles who are ranked 30th in the world and third in Africa, opponents Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau are the 108th and 115th-ranked teams in the world, based on the FIFA rankings released on March 31.

Sao Tome & Principe (189) and Mauritius (167) who could either be the fourth team in Group A, have both, neither previously qualified for an AFCON.

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The qualifiers is set to begin on May 30th, with two of the group matches to be played during the international window which stretches to June 14.

The second and third round of matches to be played between September 19-27, and the final two group matches would be played in March 20-28, 2023.

Cote d' Ivoire will host the 24 team tournament scheduled for June 23 to July 23, 2023.

The Full Draw Below:

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Group A:

• 🇳🇬 Nigeria

• 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

• 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

• 🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe / 🇲🇺 Mauritius

Group B:

• 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso

• 🇨🇻 Cape Verde

• 🇹🇬 Togo

• 🇸🇿 eSwatini

Group C:

• 🇨🇲 Cameroon

• 🇰🇪 Kenya

• 🇳🇦 Namibia

• 🇧🇮 Burundi

Group D:

• 🇪🇬 Egypt

• 🇬🇶 Guinea

• 🇲🇼 Malawi

• 🇪🇹 Ethiopia

Group E:

• 🇬🇭 Ghana

• 🇲🇬 Madagascar

• 🇦🇴 Angola

• 🇨🇫 Central African Republic

Group F:

• 🇩🇿 Algeria

• 🇺🇬 Uganda

• 🇳🇪 Niger

• 🇹🇿 Tanzania

Group G:

• 🇲🇱 Mali

• 🇨🇬 Congo

• 🇬🇲 The Gambia

• 🇸🇸 South Sudan

Group H:

• 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast (hosts)

• 🇿🇲 Zambia

• 🇰🇲 Comoros

• 🇱🇸 Lesotho

Group I:

• 🇨🇩 DR Congo

• 🇬🇦 Gabon

• 🇲🇷 Mauritania

• 🇸🇩 Sudan

Group J:

• 🇹🇳 Tunisia

• 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

• 🇱🇾 Libya

• 🇧🇼 Botswana

Group K:

• 🇲🇦 Morocco

• 🇿🇦 South Africa

• 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

• 🇱🇷 Liberia

Group L:

• 🇸🇳 Senegal

• 🇧🇯 Benin

• 🇲🇿 Mozambique

• 🇷🇼 Rwanda