The Gambia will play Tunisia, Mali, and Mauritania in its first participation in a CAF tournament, of which the draw was conducted on Tuesday evening. Cameroon will take on Burkina Faso in the opening game of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations group stages.
The tournament is scheduled to get underway on 9 January 2022 and will conclude on 6 February.
There will be a couple of new nations at the tournament, with both Comoros and Gambia making their debuts at Africa’s biggest tournament, while Sierra Leone returns for the first time since 1996.
Algeria’s defending champions begin the defense of their title against Sierra Leone while they were also drawn alongside Equatorial Guinea and two-time winners Cote d’Ivoire.
Full group stage draw:
Group A: Cameroon, Burkina Faso , Ethiopia, Cape Verde
Group B: Senegal , Zimbabwe , Guinea , Malawi
Group C: Morocco , Ghana, Comoros, Gabon
Group D: Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan, Guinea-Bissau
Group E: Algeria, Sierra Leone , Equatorial Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire
Group F: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania , Gambia