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All AFCON 2021 Groups known

Groups were revealed on Tuesday, August 17 2021, during the highly awaited Draw Ceremony which took place in the Yaoundé Congress Hall, in the presence of African Football Icons.

African Nations involved in the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations- TotalEnergies AFCON 2021 to hold in Cameroon next year now have a clear idea of the groups to which they belong.

Their positions were made public following the Draw ceremony which took place on Tuesday, 17 August 2021, in the Yaoundé Congress Hall.

The event was co-chaired by the President of the Confederation of African Football, Dr Patrice Motsepe and the Local AFCON Organizing Committee’s president, Professor Mouelle Kombi who is also Cameroon’s Minister of Sports and Physical Education.

Co-presented by Cameroon’s famous Radio & TV Anchor, Leonard Chatelain, and his counterpart, Nigerian-born and Sports News Producer, Mimi Fawaz, the ceremony brought together Football Icons across the continent, namely Gyan Asamoah of Ghana, Moustapha Rabah Madjer of Algeria, El Hadj Diouf of Senegal, and many others.

In his welcome message, the President of the AFCON Organizing Committee hailed the partnership between COCAN and CAF that led to the attainment of the proposed objectives. “The ambition of Cameroon’s government is to make AFCON 2021, a sparkling success in the cities of Bafoussam, Garoua, Limbè, Douala and Yaounde, next January-February”, he said.

The ceremony kicked-off with a showcase representing host country’s cultural diversity.

The Draw process gave room to six groups:

Group A: Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ethiopie, Cape Verde

Group B: Senegal, Zimbabwe, Guinee, Malawi

Group C: Morocco, Ghana, Comoros, Gabon

Group D: Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan, Guinea-Bissau

Group E: Algeria, Sierra-Leone, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire

Group F: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Gambia

52 countries took part in the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations with only 24 places available. The qualified teams unveiled after a campaign that started in October 2019 and ended in June 2021, due to the one-year hiatus caused by Covid-19.

Six cities will host the competition. The opener will oppose the Indomitable Lions Cameroon to the Etalons of Burkina Faso at the Brand New Olembe Stadium of Yaoundé, at 16h: 00 GMT.