The Confederation of African Football launched their Under-23 Afcon in 2011
Former winners Nigeria, Gabon and Egypt are three of ten sides to earn a bye into the second qualifying round for the Africa Cup of Nations Under-23 finals in Morocco.
Twenty countries including Togo and Tanzania are taking part in the first round, which will be played on two legs between September 19th and 27th.
Thursday’s qualifying draw produced 10 first-round encounters, including Ethiopia v Congo DR and Angola v Namibia.
The other teams that will skip the first round are Ivory Coast, South Africa, Algeria, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon and Mali.
Four of the 14 second round matches have already been drawn: Sudan v Benin, Guinea v Uganda, Sierra Leone v Zambia, Congo v Tunisia. These duels will be played over two legs on October 21-23 and October 28-30.
The 14 winners then advance to the third qualifying round, scheduled for March 2023, to determine the seven teams who will join hosts Morocco for next year’s continental event.
And there’s added incentive to reach the finals in June, as the tournament’s top three qualify to represent Africa in men’s football at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Draw in full.
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