- Holders Senegal are in the group of death
- East Africa’s Tanzania are in Group F
- Hosts Ivory Coast face off with Nigeria
Defending champions Senegal have been pooled in Group C as the draw for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was conducted in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The Lions of Teranga, who won their first ever African title last year will take on Cameroon, Guinea and Gambia in what looks like the group of death.
While Cameroon and Guinea will be the tough nuts to crack from this group, they should also be wary of Gambia, who made their AFCON debut last year in Cameroon and reached the quarter finals.
But, Gambia’s head coach Tom Saintfiet believes it will be tougher this time round, but they will battle.
“It’s a very difficult. More difficult than in the 2021 AFCON. The group of death! we will play against very strong opponents. The champions of Africa and our neighbors Senegal in the opening game then Cameroon who played the semi-final of last tournament after eliminating us and Guinea that reached the 16 finals” Saintfiet explained.
He added; “I hope that majority of the players will stay fit and the players who play less now will get more game time within the next two months. We need to 100% fit in order to achieve more miracle.”
Ivorians look to make the most of home advantage
Meanwhile, hosts Ivory Coast are in Group A and they are set for a fiery West African derby as they face off with Nigeria as well as Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau.
The Ivorians have been a pale shadow of themselves since they won the title in 2015, and they will be looking to make the most of their home ground advantage to challenge for a third African diadem.
They come up against a Nigeria side also in similar pressure, as they have failed to make the best performances in the continent despite having a golden generation of talent, headlines by Napoli’s Starman Victor Osimhen.
Group B will see record champions Egypt face off with the Black Stars of Ghana, Cape Verde and Mozambique.
In Group D, two-time champions Algeria have been drawn with Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Angola, in a group where Les Fennecs will fancy their chances to top.
In Group D, a mouth watering Southern Africa derby awaits with South Africa pooled with Namibia, with Tunisia and Mali also making up the group.
Morocco headline Group F
Group F will see World Cup semi-finalists Morocco headline, as they look to translate their form from Qatar 2022 in the quest for an African crown. They have been drawn with DR Congo, Zambia and Tanzania, who return to the AFCON for the first time since 2019.
The Taifa Stars are looking to make the best out of the group, despite being seen as the underdogs in a heavily stacked pool.
Assistant coach Suleiman Hemedi believes they have what it takes to do well, and more so says the fact they have faced DR Congo and Zambia most recently, they can challenge them.
“All teams which have qualified are tough. There is no easy team or group. For us, we have been drawn against two teams which we have played against before so they are familiar to us. We have an opportunity as a team to plan and execute well and I am confident we can get something good from this group,” Taifa Stars assistant coach Suleiman Hemed said after the draw.
Groups:
Group A: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau
Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde Islands, 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
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