African champions Algeria to face Burkina Faso in World Cup qualifying
French former professional footballer Marcel Desailly draws “Algeria” during the CAF draw, for the second round of Confederation of African Football (CAF) matches for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, in the Egyptian capital Cairo on January 21, 2020. (Photo by Mohamed el-Shahed / AFP)
Other heavyweights such as Senegal, relying on 2020 African Footballer of the Year Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah’s Egypt will take on less-fancied nations.
Madagascar, surprise quarter-finalists in last year’s Africa Cup of Nations, will face the Democratic Republic of Congo.
All five African teams failed to reach the knockout stage of the 2018 World Cup, the first time that had happened since 1982.
Forty teams will compete in 10 groups after the draw in Cairo.
Winners from the first round join 26 top-seeded sides based on FIFA’s world rankings.
The matches will take place from March 2020 until October 2021.
Group winners will advance to the third round which will be played in November 2021. The five winners of the final round will secure berths in the 2022 World Cup.
African 2022 World Cup qualifying, second-round, draw:
Group A
Algeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, Djibouti
Group B
Tunisia, Zambia, Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea
Group C
Nigeria, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Liberia
Group D
Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Malawi
Group E
Mali, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda
Group F
Egypt, Gabon, Libya, Angola
Group G
Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia
Group H
Senegal, Congo Brazzaville, Namibia, Togo
Group I
Morocco, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan
Group J
DR Congo, Benin, Madagascar, Tanzania
