BEVERLY HILLS, November 17, (THEWILL) – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved that the 2019 AFCON Qualifiers, scheduled for March 2018, be shifted.
President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, had submitted a request to that effect, to the board arguing that the window should be used by African teams preparing for the World Cup 2018 in Russia to play friendly games.
He argued that since the African Cup of Nations is to hold in 2019, it’s only logical for CAF to move the qualifiers till November, which is after the World Cup next year to allow teams focus on their campaign at the World Cup.
Nigeria, originally billed to take on Seychelles, will now use the window to organise at least two friendly games to keep the Super Eagles in shape ahead of the World Cup 2018 in Russia.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles will on Friday know their group phase opponents at the 5th African Nations Championship (CHAN) kicking off on January 13, 2018 in Morocco.
CAF has announced that the Draws will take place at the stately Hotel, Sofitel Rabat, which also hosted CAF’s Extraordinary General Assembly following the first –ever African Football Symposium in Rabat in July this year.
The 16 teams that qualified for the finals have been drawn into four pots, from which they will be drawn into four groups of four for the 23–day, 16–nation home based players’ championship.
Nigeria, winners of the bronze medals at the 3rd CHAN in South Africa in 2014, have been slotted into Pot 2, alongside Cameroon, Guinea and Zambia.
Pot 1 has host nation Morocco, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire and Libya; Congo, Uganda, Rwanda and Sudan are in Pot 3 while Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania and Namibia in Pot D.
Group A will have its base in Casablanca (Morocco’s industrial and economic capital); Marrakech will host Group B; Group C will be based in Tangier and; Agadir will play host to Group D.
