Easy draw for holders Algeria, Ivory Coast as Nigeria to face Egypt

Holders Algeria will face Ivory Coast, the only team they failed to defeat in winning the last Africa Cup of Nations, when Cameroon host the delayed 2021 edition between 9^th January and 6^th February 2022.

The teams drew 1-1 after extra time in the quarter-finals and the Desert Foxes advanced by winning a penalty shootout in the previous edition staged in Egypt in 2019 and they will now lock horns in Group E of the tournament whose draw was conducted in Yaounde on Tuesday.

Also in the group are minnows Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea, meaning it should be an easy way through for the Algerians and Ivorians to make it to the knock-out phase.

 “We have a very good group, with quality, very young, with a lot of ambition,” former Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba told AFP after taking part in the draw.

“I think we will be up to it.”

Ranked third in the continent in this month’s FIFA rankings behind Senegal and Tunisia, Algeria are the form team boasting an African record 27-match unbeaten run since November 2018.

Hosts Cameroon – seeking a sixth Cup of Nations title – are in Group A with Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Cape Verde.

Record seven-time African champions Egypt will battle for honours from Group D alongside three-time winners Nigeria, Sudan and hitherto minnows Guinea-Bissau.

Egypt have a point to prove following their shock exit as 2019 hosts, falling to South Africa in the round of 16.

Sadio Mane-inspired Senegal, beaten by Algeria in both the group stage and the final two years ago, will fancy their chances in Group B, which includes Zimbabwe, Guinea and Malawi.

Tunisia, finalists for every Cup of Nations since 1994, are in Group F with Mali, Mauritania and the Gambia, who along with the Comoros are debutants.

Morocco, whose only success in the tournament came in 1976, and four-time champions Ghana look the strongest contenders in Group C, which the Comoros and Gabon complete.

Group winners and runners-up and the four best third-placed teams qualify for knockout stage.

Cameroon were originally due to stage the African football showcase in 2019 but fell behind with preparations and Egypt stepped in as late replacements.

The 2021 tournament dates have changed twice, first because of fears that torrential seasonal rains could affect the tight schedule, and then because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Draw

Group A: Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Cape Verde

Group B: Senegal, Zimbabwe, Guinea, Malawi

Group C: Morocco, Ghana, Comoros, Gabon

Group D: Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan, Guinea-Bissau

Group E: Algeria, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast

Group F: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Gambia