40 teams remaining in the race on the African continent were drawn into 10 groups of four teams each, with Nigeria heading Group C.
Nigeria’s first game, coming up in October this year, will be against the Lone Star of Liberia, who reached this stage after shoving neighbours Sierra Leone in the first round.
African champions Algeria head Group A and will have two interesting games against the Etalons of Burkina Faso, with Niger Republic and Djibouti also in the pool.
Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles head Group B which also has Zambia, Mauritania and Equatorial Guinea, but the presence of Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire in Group D makes that pool most interesting. They are joined by Mozambique and Malawi.
GROUP A
Algeria
Burkina Faso
Niger Republic
Djibouti
GROUP B
Tunisia
Zambia
Mauritania
Equatorial Guinea
GROUP C
Nigeria
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Liberia
GROUP D
Cameroon
Cote d’Ivoire
Mozambique
Malawi
GROUP E
Mali
Uganda
Kenya
Rwanda
GROUP F
Egypt
Gabon
Libya
Angola
GROUP G
Ghana
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Ethiopia
GROUP H
Senegal
Congo
Namibia
Togo
GROUP I
Morocco
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Sudan
GROUP J
DR Congo
Benin Republic
Madagascar
Tanzania
Each of the 40 teams will play two matches each towards the end of this year, with the remaining four matches coming up next year. The third and final round of the qualifiers will see the 10 winners of the pools drawn into five explosive home-and-away fixtures that will produce Africa’s flag bearers in Qatar.
Leave feedback about this