Salah’s Egypt draws Keita’s Guinea in African Cup qualifying

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Mohamed Salah is ready to face Liverpool teammate Naby Keita in qualifying for subsequent 12 months’s African Cup of Nations after Egypt was drawn in the identical group as Guinea on Tuesday.

Malawi and Ethiopia make up Group D however the conferences between Egypt and Guinea would be the headline contests there.

Defending champion Senegal, which beat Egypt on this 12 months’s ultimate, faces Benin, Mozambique and Rwanda in Group L.

The qualifiers kick off in June. The 2023 African Cup will probably be held in Ivory Coast subsequent June and July and can imply the continental championship is held in consecutive years.

The 2021 match was postponed till this 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Senegal lifted the trophy in Cameroon in February for its first African title.

Two groups from every of the 12 qualifying teams will qualify after they play one another residence and away. Host Ivory Coast is participating within the qualifiers, as is now customized in Africa, however its place on the cup subsequent 12 months is assured, so the opposite highest-placed staff will qualify from that group.

Ivory Coast is in Group H with 2012 champion Zambia, which beat the Ivorians within the ultimate to win that title. Comoros and Lesotho full the group.

Nigeria will face Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and Sao Tome or Mauritius in Group A. Cameroon is with Kenya, Namibia and Burundi in Group C.

Kenya and Zimbabwe have been included within the draw regardless of presently being banned from internationals by FIFA due to authorities interference of their nationwide soccer federations. They are going to have the ability to play so long as their suspension is lifted not less than two weeks earlier than their first sport, the Confederation of African Soccer stated. If not, they are going to be faraway from qualifying.

Zimbabwe is in Group Okay alongside Morocco, South Africa and Liberia.

Algeria, the 2019 champion, was drawn with Uganda, Niger and Tanzania. 4-time winner Ghana faces Madagascar, Angola and Central African Republic in Group E.

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