AFCON Draw: Ghana to avoid seven-time winners Egypt but could face champions Algeria
- The 2021 AFCON draw will take place tonight in Cameroon
- Ghana will avoid Egypt but they are likely to face champions Algeria
- The Black Stars will know their opponents after the draw in Yaoundé on Tuesday
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The senior national team of Ghana, the Black Stars, will find out their opponents for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon next year on Tuesday night.
The team has however avoided seven times champions Egypt and the last team to beat them at the AFCON final, Ivory Coast.
However, the four times African champions could be paired with current champions Algeria or the team that knocked them out of the 2019 Nations cup, Tunisia.
Source: Twitter
YEN.com.gh looks at the teams Ghana is likely to face and the countries the Black Stars will avoid.
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The Confederation of African football released the Pots for the draws, a fortnight ago, and Ghana finds her self in Pot 2.
This means the Black Stars will avoid all teams in Pot 1, which has host nation Cameroon, current champions Algeria, and the top four teams on the continent.
Below are the Pots for the grouping:
Pot 1: Cameroon, Algeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, Nigeria.
Pot 2: Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea.
Pot 3: Cap Verde, Gabon Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Guinea Bissau.
Pot 4: Malawi, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Comoros, Ethiopia, Gambia.
From the above Pots, Ghana could be pair with any of the team in Pot 1 an three other teams from Pot 3 and Pot 4.
The Potting of teams, apart from the hosts and the champions were based on the FIFA Coca-Cola ranking.
Meanwhile, the procedure for the draw is further explained by the Confederation of African Football on their official website.
According to CAF: "The 24 qualified teams will be allocated to four pots of six teams each, based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, to be released on 12 August 2021 (the last ranking to be released before the date of the draw).
"Based on this ranking, the top four teams will be allocated to Pot 1 along with the hosts, Cameroon and title holders Algeria. The remaining 18 teams will be allocated to the three remaining pots (Pots 2, 3 and 4) according to their ranking in descending order.
"The four pots representing the teams will be labelled pots 1 to 4. The six pots representing the groups will be labelled groups A to F.
"A ball from a team pot will be drawn, followed by a ball from one of the group pots, thus determining the position in which the respective team will play.
"Cameroon will be pre-assigned to position A1 as hosts. The remaining five teams in pot 1 will automatically be drawn into position 1 of each group (B to F). The same procedure will be repeated for the remaining pots."
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that, legendary Ghana international, Asamoah Gyan, is hoping the Black Stars get an 'affordable group' at the Africa Cup of Nations draw in Cameroon on Tuesday.
Ghana's all time leading scorer, Gyan, is one of two special guests invited by the Confederation of African Football for the event to be held in Yaoundé on Tuesday, August 17, 2021.
Speaking to CAF's website, the 'Baby Jet' wished Ghana the best of luck and believes the new Black Stars team can make headways in Cameroon next year.
Source: YEN.com.gh
