Record AFCON third placed team, Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been drawn against 2019 Africa Cup of Nations quarter finalists Republic of Benin and two other countries for the qualification series of the 2021 tournament.
In the draws conducted at the Marriott Hotel in Cairo, the Egyptian capital on Thursday evening, Nigeria and Benin were joined in Group L by the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone and Lesotho.
A total of forty countries were shared into twelve groups with four other teams set to emerge from the elimination stage over the next three months.
The qualifying series is expected to last for twelve months with the first two group matches to be played between November 11 and 19 this year while the last round of matches will be played in November next year.
Top two teams from each group will advance to the 24-team competition to be hosted by Nigeria’s neighbours Cameroon in the summer of 2021.
FULL DRAWS:
Group A:
Mali
Guinea
Namibia
Group B:
Burkina Faso
Uganda
Malawi
Group C:
Ghana
South Africa
Sudan
Group D:
RD Congo
Gabon
Angola
Group E:
Morocco
Mauritania
Central Africa
Burundi
Group F:
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Mozambique
Rwanda
Group G:
Egypt
Kenya
Togo
Comoros Islands
Group H:
Algeria
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Botswana
Group I:
Senegal
Congo
Guinea-Bissau
Eswatini
Group J:
Tunisia
Libya
Tanzania
Equatorial Guinea
Group K:
Côte d’Ivoire
Niger
Madagascar
Ethiopia
Group L:
Nigeria
Benin
Sierra Leone
Lesotho
Fisayo Dairo reporting from Cairo
