Three months ahead of the 34th edition of the AFCON, to be held in Côte d'Ivoire, CAF held the draw for the group phase in Abidjan on Thursday evening. Senegal, the reigning African champions, are in Group C alongside Cameroon, Guinea and Gambia. Hosts Côte d'Ivoire share Group A with Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau.
Right from the start, we knew that the group phase of the 34th edition of the African Cup of Nations would offer some exciting encounters. And so it proved. Some of the matches in the first round of the 2023 AFCON will be well marked in fans' diaries. Such is the case of the reunion between Cameroon and Senegal. Ironically, the two teams will be playing a friendly match in Lens on Monday October 16 in preparation for the AFCON.
Cameroon-Senegal, a shared history
Three months later, they meet again in Pool C, battling it out for a place in the Round of 8. In this competition, the Lions' duel has often gone in the Indomitable Lions' favor. They came to Dakar to knock Senegal out of the 1992 CAN in the quarter-finals. Ten years later in Mali, the Cameroonians brought the Lions of Teranga to tears in the final, before repeating the feat in the quarter-finals in Gabon in 2017. But the Lions' coach Aliou Cissé, who missed the decisive penalty in 2002, believes that the Senegalese have taken their revenge by winning their first title in Yaoundé two years ago. Fate reshuffles the deck. In Pool C, there will also be two top-quality referees in Guinea and Gambia. Two of Senegal's neighbors who showed at the last edition that they will be more than just victims of expiation.
Côte d'Ivoire-Nigeria, the Pool A clash
Pool A also features a dream match-up. Côte d'Ivoire, who play their opening match against Guinea Bissau, will also be up against Victor Osimhen's Nigeria. The Nigerian striker missed the last edition due to a serious facial injury. He could land in Abidjan with the status of Ballon d'Or Africain 2023. The Elephants also share this group with Equatorial Guinea. The two nations played each other in the previous edition. As did Nigeria and Guinea Bissau.
The other groups are also full of great matches. The top two finishers in each group will qualify directly for the Round of 8. They will be joined by the four best third-placed teams. The opening match is scheduled for January 13, while the final will take place on February 11, 2024.
The composition by Pools
Group A: Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau
Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique
Group C: Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia
Group D: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola,Group E: Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia,
Group F: Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania
