Africa-Press – Zambia. Chipolopolo will avoid some recent stubborn opponents including Bafana Bafana in the 2023 AFCON group stage qualifying draws that are set for April 19.
According the seedings released by CAF, Zambia is Pot 2 together with COSAFA archrivals South Africa and perennial nemesis Cape Verde whom they have beaten once with a draw and a loss in three previous meetings.
Pot 2 will also see Chipoloploo avoid Equatorial Guinea who beat them 2- 0 away and drew 1-1 at home in the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup Group B qualifiers.
Guinea, Uganda, Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville, Sierra Leone and Madagascar are also in Pot 2 alongside Kenya who serving a FIFA ban due to government interference in their FA affairs.
But Chipolopolo are very likely to have either a North of West African opponent leading their group while DR Congo are the only team outside those zones in Pot 1.
Pot 1 also includes hosts Cote d’Ivoire whose group stage matches will be classified as friendly games. But only one team from the other three teams in Cote d’Ivoire’s group will qualify to the AFCON.
However, two teams each from the other eleven groups will qualify for the 2023 AFCON, POT 1: Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Cameroon, Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire (hosts), Burkina Faso, Ghana, and DR Congo
POT 2: South Africa, Cape Verde, Gabon, Zambia, Benin, Uganda, Congo-Brazzaville, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Kenya * POT 3: Namibia, Zimbabwe*, Mauritania, Guinea Bissau, Libya, Niger, Malawi, Togo, Gambia, Angola, Comoros, Mozambique
POT 4: Tanzania, Central Africa Republic, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Botswana, Liberia, South Sudan, Sao Tome e Principe *Would be in the qualifiers if FIFA lifts ban two weeks before qualifiers kickoff but beyond that, they will be classified as eliminated
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