Holders Senegal will face among others five time champions Cameroon at the group stages of the 2023 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations following an official draw held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Neighbors Tanzania who qualified at the expense of Uganda Cranes were pitted against FIFA 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco while hosts Ivory Coast will take on rivals Nigeria.
Record winners Egypt will face the Black Stars of Ghana as the two nations renew hostilities.
Group A has hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau in what is a West African affair.
In Group B, seven time winners Egypt will face Ghana in a repeat of the 2010 final which the Pharaohs won as Cape Verde and Mozambique complete the group.
Holders Senegal who beat Egypt in the final in the last edition were drawn in Group C against Cameroon, Guinea and AFCON first timers Gambia.
2019 Afcon winners Algeria, 2013 finalists Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Angola are in Group D while 1996 winners South Africa were drawn in Group E that has Tunisia, Mali and Namibia.
The final group, F has Morocco as favourites but games against DR Congo and Zambia will be exciting as Tanzania completes the group.
Matches will take place at six venues across the country, including newly constructed stadiums in Abidjan, Korhogo and San Pedro.
The 16-team group stage was plotted in Abidjan, with Cote d’Ivoire hosting the continent’s showpiece event from 13 January to 11 February 2023.
The draw ceremony was attended by among others Music Icon Akon ad a host of football stars – past and current led by Didier Drogba, Mikel Obi, Sadio Mane and Achraf Hakimi.
Groups:
Group A: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau
Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde Islands, Mozambique
Group C: Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia
Group D: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola
Group E: Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia
Group F: Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania