AFCON U23 Draw: Tanzania, South Sudan to face off in the first round
Reading Time: 3min | Fri. 19.08.22. | 09:45
Kenya will not take part in the competition as the country is currently under a FIFA suspension for government interference
Neighbours Tanzania and South Sudan will face off in the first round of the qualifiers of the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) set for Morocco in 2023 following the draw conducted on Thursday.
Ethiopia will also start their campaign in the first round against DR Congo while Sudan and Uganda are the only teams in the CECAFA region to start in the second round as they have a better ranking that excludes them from the first round..
Ethiopian national team under 23 will play RD Congo in the first round of U23 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2023 scheduled in June. and will serve as qualifying tournament to the Summer Olympics #Paris2024.
— Dr.Farhan Mohammed (@FarhanAbdullahA) August 18, 2022
If we pass congo in this round will face Algeria in second round. pic.twitter.com/v0Tyk9O5CY
Sudan will take on Benin then, as Uganda play Guinea. The winner between Tanzania and South Sudan will face off with Nigeria while the winner between Ethiopia and Guinea will take on Algeria.
38 countries are set to take part in the qualifying stage following the withdrawal of Djibouti in the last minute, with Morocco already having qualified as hosts while the other 37 countries will square it out for the final slots in the qualifiers for the tournament that will serve as the qualifying tournament for the Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024.
The first round qualification matches will be played in a two-legged format between September 19 and September 27 this year, with the second round taking place between October 21 and October 30 for the two legs.
The third and final qualifying round matches are set to be played next year between March 20 and March 28.
First Round
M. 1 & 2: Guinea-Bissau vs Niger
M. 3 & 4: Tanzania vs South Sudan
M. 5 & 6: Eswatini vs Botswana
M. 7 & 8: Mauritania vs Togo
M. 9 & 10: Ethiopia vs DR Congo
M. 11 & 12: Mozambique vs Mauritius
M. 13 & 14: Burkina Faso vs Gambia
M. 15 & 16: Libya vs Rwanda
M. 17 & 18: Madagascar vs Seychelles
M. 19 & 20: Angola vs Namibia
Second Round
M. 21 & 22: Winner 1 & 2 / Côte d’Ivoire
M. 23 & 24: Sudan vs Benin
M. 25 & 26: Winner 3 & 4 vs Nigeria
M. 27 & 28: Guinea vs Uganda
M. 29 & 30: Winner 5 & 6 vs Egypt
M. 31 & 32: Sierra Leone vs Zambia
M. 33 & 34: Winner 7 & 8 vs South Africa
M. 35 & 36: Congo vs Tunisia
M. 37 & 38: Winner 9 & 10 vs Algeria
M. 39 & 40: Winner 11 & 12 vs Ghana
M. 41 & 42: Winner 13 & 14 vs Senegal
M. 43 & 44: Winner 15 & 16 vs Mali
M. 45 & 46: Winner 17 & 18 vs Gabon
M. 47 & 48: Winner 19 & 20 vs Cameroon
Third Round
M. 49 & 50: Winner 21/22 vs winner 23/24
M. 51 & 52: Winner 25/26 vs winner 27/28
M. 53 & 54: Winner 29/30 vs winner 31/32
M. 55 & 56: Winner 33/34 vs winner 35/36
M. 57 & 58: Winner 37/38 vs winner 39/40
M. 59 & 60: Winner 41/42 vs winner 43/44
M. 61 & 62: Winner 45/46 vs winner 47/48
