[Mhiz Rebecca]

The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying draw made
in Libreville Thursday pitted Nigeria against South
Africa in one of the 12 groups and Tunisia against
Egypt in another.
Nigeria and South Africa are in Group E with Libya and
the Seychelles while Tunisia and Egypt are in Group J
with Niger and Swaziland.
Both Nigeria and South Africa failed to reach the 2017
Cup of Nations tournament, which kicks off in Gabon
Saturday with a fixture between the host country and
Guinea-Bissau.
Nigeria lost out to Egypt after taking only one point
from the two matches between countries who have
won 10 of the previous 30 competitions.
South Africa held eventual group winners Cameroon
twice, but finished an embarrassing third after losing
and drawing against minnows Mauritania.
Both blockbuster pairings are repeats of 2015 qualifiers
with Nigeria and South Africa drawing twice and
Tunisia defeating Egypt home and away.
Ghana and Kenya are in Group F with Ethiopia and
Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo
and Congo Brazzaville share Group G with Zimbabwe
and Liberia.
Group L comprises decades-old east African rivals
Uganda and Tanzania plus Cape Verde and Lesotho.
There will be three two-leg preliminary ties during
March involving the six lowest ranked sides with the
overall winners securing places in the group phase.
One round of mini-league fixtures are scheduled for
2017 and five for next year with the 12 group winners
and the best three runners-up joining hosts Cameroon
in the finals.
Draw
Preliminary round
Sao Tome e Principe v Madagascar
Comoros v Mauritius
Djibouti v South Sudan
Note: home and away matches to be played between
Mar 20-28 and overall winners qualify for group phase
Group A
Senegal, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, Sao Tome or
Madagascar
Group B
Cameroon, Morocco, Malawi, Comoros or Mauritius
Group C
Mali, Gabon, Burundi, Djibouti or South Sudan
Group D
Algeria, Togo, Benin, Gambia
Group E
Nigeria, South Africa, Libya, Seychelles
Group F
Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sierra Leone
Group G
Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville,
Zimbabwe, Liberia
Group H
Ivory Coast, Guinea, Central African Republic, Rwanda
Group I
Burkina Faso, Angola, Botswana, Mauritania
Group J
Tunisia, Egypt, Niger, Swaziland
Group K
Zambia, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia
Group L
Cape Verde, Uganda, Tanzania, Lesotho
Notes
— Group winners and best three runners-up qualify for
tournament with hosts Cameroon
— Cameroon will compete in Group B and points
awarded in their matches. If Cameroon win group, the
runners-up will qualify; if they finish runners-up, the
winners will qualify; if they finish third or fourth, the
winners will qualify and the runners-up will compete
for one of the three additional places
Matchdays
2017
June 5-13
2018
Mar 19-27, Sept 3-11 (two), Oct 8-16, Nov 5-13