The Confederation of African Football staged the 29th Edition of the Africa Cup of Nations Preliminary Draw at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg, South Africa for the 30 teams to play the final qualification rounds of The Orange AFCON to be hosted in a South Africa from 19th January to 10 th February 2013.The draw got off to a good start with all keen to see how the pairings would come out from the seeded teams and unseeded sides as fifteen nations battle it out for a spot in the final 16. There was a big show up from the sporting fraternity with more than half of the participating member associations in
attendance.The teams will now play a two-legged knockout system of home and away games played between 7 ?? 9 September and 12 ?? 14 October.The draw for 30 teams promises some mouth-watering matches as the race to join hosts South Africa and make a total of 16 teams reaches the end. Once the 15 winners from this draw emerge the final draw for the tournament itself will take place on 26 October.
Defending champions Zambia and beaten finalist in the last tournament, Ivory Coast leads the seeded teams expected to make the 15 wining sides from the draw. South Africa??s Bafana Bafana team did not have to quality as they are host country and will only know on 26 October.
The event was attended by the Hon. Minister of Sports and Recreation, Mr. Fikile Mbalula, the 1st Vice President of CAF, Suketu Patel; Secretary General of CAF, Hicham El Amrani, Sporting Fraternity, the Chairperson of the Board Of the Local Organizing Committee, Adv. Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana and the CEO Mvuzo Mbebe
CAF Secretary General of CAF, Mr Hicham El Amrani conducted the draw assisted by former Bafana Bafana captain, Neil Tovey, as well as by former Nigerian footballer Daniel Owefin Amukachi, the teams were drawn as follows:
Cape Verde vs Cameroon Mali vs Botswana Zimbabwe vs Angola Ghana vs Malawi Liberia v Nigeria Zambia vs Uganda Mozambique vs Morroco Sierra Leone vs Tunisia Guinea vs Niger Sudan vs Ethiopia Libya vs Algeria Cote Vs d??Ivoire vs Senegal Democratic Rep of Congo vs Equatorial Guinea Gabon vs Togo Burkina Faso vs Central African Republic
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