UPDATE 1-Soccer–African champions Algeria get favourable draw in World Cup qualifiers

African champions Algeria will begin their bid for a place at the 2022 World Cup against tiny Djibouti in October after the draw was made for the qualifying group stage in Cairo on Tuesday.

Only the top team in each of the 10 pools advance to the final knockout stages, where they will play home and away for a place in Qatar, and Algeria will be confident of advancing from Group A that also contains Burkina Faso and Niger. Senegal also has a favorable draw in Group H along with Congo-Brazzaville, Namibia, and Togo, the latter a shadow of the side that qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Nigeria is in Group C along with Cape Verde Islands, Central African Republic, and Liberia, which should cause few alarms. One of Cameroon and Ivory Coast will be eliminated at this stage after they were drawn together in Group D along with Mozambique and Malawi.

Ghana and South Africa headline Group G, having also been paired together in the qualifiers for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, so will be regular combatants over the next 18 months. They must also face Zimbabwe and Ethiopia, who are both tricky opponents.

North African powerhouse Tunisia is in Group B with Zambia, Mauritania, and Equatorial Guinea, while Egypt has been handed a difficult road in a pool with Gabon, Libya, and Angola. The qualifiers will get underway in October, with the pool stage completed 12 months later.

The 10 group winners will then face-off in November 2021, with the five victors of those knockout matches sealing a place at the World Cup. The draw:

Group A Algeria

Burkina Faso Niger

Djibouti Group B

Tunisia Zambia

Mauritania Equatorial Guinea

Group C Nigeria

Cape Verde Islands 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

Democratic Republic of Congo Benin

Madagascar Tanzania

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)