During the Africa Cup of Nations draw set to take place in Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Africa, and Morocco may find themselves in the same group.
This draw includes six top seeds, among which is Morocco, who made history at the 2022 World Cup as the first African semi-finalists.
Nigeria, a three-time winner of this prestigious African football competition, is among the second seeds, while South Africa finds itself among the third seeds, despite previously being ranked above DR Congo.
Gambia, a surprising 2021 Cup of Nations quarter-finalist from the fourth seeds, could potentially turn this group into a formidable “group of death.”
Host countries automatically qualify for the tournament and are also among the top seeds. Due to this, Nigeria had to share second-seed status with Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, conceding their top-seed position.
The other seeded teams include Cape Verde, Guinea, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Gambia, and Tanzania.
Morocco, despite having won the Cup of Nations only once in its history, is poised as the favorite for the upcoming competition, with coach Walid Regragui setting high expectations.
All in all, the top-seeded teams and several others, including Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, DR Congo, South Africa, and Zambia, have previously won the Cup of Nations, while other champions like Ethiopia, Sudan, and Congo Brazzaville did not qualify for this edition.
