Hosts Ivory Coast to face Nigeria in AFCON group
Hosts Ivory
Coast were joined in Group A by Nigeria in the draw for the Africa Cup of
Nations in Abidjan on Thursday.
Fast-improving
Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, who have qualified for a fourth straight
edition, complete the mini-league.
Other
heavyweight pairings included defending champions Senegal with five-time
winners Cameroon, while Africa's first World Cup semi-finalists Morocco face
Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ivory Coast,
seeking a third Cup of Nations title, will face Guinea-Bissau in the opening
match on January 13 in Abidjan, the economic hub.
The Ivorian
clash with three-time champions Nigeria will attract most attention among the
six Group A fixtures.
Nigeria were
last crowned Cup of Nations winners in 2013 in South Africa and the Ivory Coast
succeeded them two years later in Equatorial Guinea.
Morocco were
drawn in Group F with DR Congo, Zambia and Tanzania.
The Atlas
Lions have won the premier African football competition only once, in 1976 in
Ethiopia. Their best performance since then was finishing runners-up to 2004
hosts Tunisia.
Defending
champions Senegal are in Group C with five-time winners Cameroon, Guinea and
the Gambia.
South Africa
will face Tunisia, Mali and Namibia in Group E while Ghana take on Egypt, Cape
Verde and Mozambique in Group B.
Group D,
comprising Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Angola, completes the line-up
for a tournament that will reach a climax with the final on February 11.
Draw
Group A
Ivory Coast
(hosts), Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau
Egypt,
Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique
Senegal
(holders), Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia
Algeria,
Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola
Tunisia,
Mali, South Africa, Namibia
Morocco,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Tanzania
- Group
winners and runners-up and the four highest ranked third-placed teams qualify
for knockout stage
- Tournament
kicks off on January 13 and ends on February 11, with matches at six stadiums
in five cities
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