Six CECAFA teams to kick-off FIFA World Cup qualifiers with away matches

The second round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar qualifiers will kick start in June 2021.

Apart from the Harambee Stars of Kenya, six teams from the Council of East and Central African Football Associations (CECAFA) zone will start with away games between June 5-8^th.

Kenya who are in Group E will start with a home match against arch-rivals Uganda, while Amavubi of Rwanda play away to Mali in the same Group.

Djibouti who ejected Eswatini in the preliminary round will start their second round campaign with an away game to reigning African champions Algeria in Group A.

Fresh from qualifying for the Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after eight years of waiting, Ethiopia will travel to battle the Black Stars of Ghana in a Group G match, while Tanzania will face DR Congo in Kinsasha.

Sudan who are the second team from the CECAFA region to book a place in the AFCON tournament will also travel to face Morocco in a Group I match.

The second games in the groups will be played between June 11-14^th, while the others will be played in September and October this year.

The best team in each of the 10 groups will qualify for the third round which will be played on a home and away basis for two teams that will be paired.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup, the second to be held in Asia after South Korea and Japan will take place November 22 to December 18^th in Qatar.

Groups

A: Niger, Djibouti, Burkina Faso, Algeria

B: Zambia, Tunisia, Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea

C: Nigeria, Liberia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic

D: Mozambique, Malawi, Ivory Coast, Cameroon

E: Uganda, Rwanda, Mali, Kenya

F: Libya, Gabon, Egypt, Angola

G: Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia

H: Togo, Senegal, Namibia, Congo Brazzaville

I: Sudan, Morocco, Guinea Bissau, Guinea

J: Tanzania, Madagascar, DR Congo, Benin