The draw ceremony for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals holds today in Yaounde with three –time champions Nigeria in Pot 1 of the draw, and may likely being drawn against seven –time winners Egypt (Pot 2), 2022 FIFA World Cup foes Cape Verde (Pot 3) and the gritty and gutsy Comoros team that recently achieved a first-ever qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations (Pot 4).
All teams in the same pot avoid one another but they could be drawn
against any in the other pots, so no one can rule out the likelihood of the
Super Eagles clashing with the Pharaohs, the Blue Sharks and surprise
packets Coelacanths.
Being grouped in Pot 1 together means the Eagles, who picked up the
bronze medals at the last edition in Egypt two years ago, will avoid
Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions (five-time champions), Senegal’s Lions
of the Teranga (Africa’s number one –ranked team), Tunisia (2004
champions and Africa’s number two –ranked team), Cup holders Algeria
(now ranked number three in Africa) and 1976 winners Morocco (now
ranked fourth in Africa, a step above the Super Eagles).
The draw ceremony formally kick-starts preparations for all teams
concerned.
