Seeding Of Countries Ahead Of AFCON 2023 Draws

BY: BLACKCOIN

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches will commence In June 2022, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

A total of 48 teams will partake in the qualifications while 24 teams will qualify to play in the final tournament, including Ivory Coast, who qualify automatically as hosts.

The date for the group stage has yet to be announced. The 48 teams will be drawn into twelve groups of four teams (from Group A to Group L). Groups will consist of the 42 teams which enter directly, in addition to the six winners of the preliminary round.

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations hosts, Ivory Coast, will participate in the qualifiers with the team guaranteed a spot in the finals regardless of its ranking in the group. Their matches and results will count in determining the qualification of the other teams from their group. If Ivory Coast fails to finish in the top two of their group, the worst-ranked team among the group runners-up will not qualify for the final tournament.

The seedling was done according to the rankings of each country in the FIFA World Rankings. Four teams from each pot will be drawn into one group.

Below are the seedings for the draw.

Pot 1

Senegal

Morocco

Tunisia

Nigeria

Algeria

Cameroon

Egypt

Mali

Ivory Coast

Burkina Faso

Ghana

DR Congo

Pot 2

South Africa

Cape Verde

Guinea

Uganda

Gabon

Benin

Zambia

Congo

Madagascar

Kenya

Equatorial Guinea

Sierra Leone

Pot 3

Namibia

Guinea-Bissau

Niger

Mauritania

Libya

Mozambique

Malawi

Zimbabwe

Gambia

Togo

Angola

Central African Republic

Pot 4

Comoros

Tanzania

Sudan

Rwanda

Liberia

Lesotho

Eswatini

Botswana

Ethiopia

Burundi

South Sudan

São Tomé and Príncipe