The draw for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations took place on Thursday evening and Bafana Bafana have been paired with Tunisia, Namibia and Mali in Group E.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria, on the other hand, find themselves in Group A alongside hosts Ivory Coast Equatoria Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.
Other exciting pairings see Egypt and Ghana in Group B while defending champions Senegal have been drawn with Cameroon in Group C.
Host nation Ivory Coast will kick start the tournament with Group A action against Guinea-Bissau.
Bafana will be making their return to the continental spectacle after missing the previous edition. Hugo Broos’ side will be going up against Southern Africa’s neighboring country Namibia, who are captained by a familiar face in Mamelodi Sundowns’ goal-getter Peter Shalulile.
Meanwhile, Nigeria will be making their third successive appearance in the tournament and coach Jose Peseiro is under pressure to lead the West African giants to their fourth Afcon title.
The Afcon is set to take place in Ivory Coast where legend Didier Drogba hopes to see his nation win it on home soil.
“Ivory Coast is very happy and proud to host the Afcon and we will do the best for it to be the best tournament. I know that this group of players will try their best and we always say that disappointment is not Ivorian.
“It will be challenging with big teams but we have a strong team and we will do the best we can for the trophy to stay in Ivory Coast,” the Chelsea legend said after the conclusion of the draw.
Full draw
📌Group A:
- Ivory Coast 🇨🇮
- Nigeria 🇳🇬
- Equatorial Guinea 🇬🇶
- Guinea-Bissau 🇬🇼
📌Group B:
- Egypt 🇪🇬
- Ghana 🇬🇭
- Cape Verde 🇨🇻
- Mozambique 🇲🇿
📌Group C:
- Senegal 🇸🇳
- Cameroon 🇨🇲
- Guinea 🇬🇳
- Gambia 🇬🇲
📌Group D:
- Algeria 🇩🇿
- Burkina Faso 🇧🇫
- Mauritania 🇲🇷
- Angola 🇦🇴
📌Group E:
- Tunisia 🇹🇳
- Mali 🇲🇱
- South Africa 🇿🇦
- Namibia 🇳🇦
📌Group F:
- Morocco 🇲🇦
- DR Congo 🇨🇩
- Zambia 🇿🇲
- Tanzania 🇹🇿
Goal
