The draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Africa qualifying zone took place in Cairo on Friday, with the 20 remaining African nations drawn into five groups of four teams each.
The five group winners after a round robin format will go on to represent the continent at the next global showpiece event in Russia in two years’ time.
Group B looks to be the group of death, with Cameroon, Algeria, Nigeria and Zambia drawn together for a selection of fixtures which will be highly anticipated.
Gabon, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire and Morocco have been included in Group C, setting up the match between the Panthers of Gabon and the Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire, and more specifically a battle between Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Yaya Touré.
The two players went head to head in the African Player of the Year awards in January, with Aubameyang named as the continent’s best, prompting disgust from Touré who believed his AFCON victory with the Elephants last year warranted his claim to the personal prize.
Qualifiers begin in October this year and end in November, 2017, at which point the five qualified African nations will be known.
The five groups:
Group A: Tunisia, Libya, DR Congo, Guinea
Group B: Zambia, Cameroon, Algeria, Nigeria
Group C: Gabon, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco
Group D: Senegal, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde
Group E: Ghana, Congo, Egypt, Uganda