2023 AFCON
Six CECAFA teams in Pot 4 ahead of AFCON group stage draw
The draw for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 group stage will be held tonight in Johannesburg, South Africa.
CAF says the 48 teams that qualified for the second round will be drawn in 12 groups of four, with the best two qualifying for the tournament to be played in Cote d’Ivoire.
Eight teams from the CECAFA region will be drawn, with Uganda and Kenya who are highly ranked based on the official FIFA ranking released on March 31st, 2022 are placed in Pot 2. CAF says Kenya and Zimbabwe who have been suspended by FIFA from all football activities globally, will also be included in the draw despite their temporary bans.
Six teams from the CECAFA region; Tanzania, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia and South Sudan have been placed in Pot 4 which means they cannot face each other.
Sudan and Ethiopia played in the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon, while Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi featured in the 2019 AFCON held in Egypt.
Pot 1: Senegal, Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Cameroon, Algeria, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, DR Congo
Pot 2: South Africa, Cape Verde, Guinea, Gabon, Benin, Uganda, Zambia, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Kenya, Sierra Leone
Pot 3: Namibia, Mauritania, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Libya, Mozambique, Malawi, Togo, Zimbabwe, Gambia, Angola, Comoros
Pot 4: Tanzania, Central African Republic, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Botswana, Liberia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Pricipe