The draw for the 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) has been held in the Cameroonian city of Yaounde as current champions Algeria are drawn alongside former winners Cote d’Ivoire in Group E.

Completing Group E are Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea who have been presented with a herculean task of surviving the first round of the competition that was pushed into early next year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

52 countries took part in the qualifiers for the tournament but only 24 countries secured qualifications for the competition that starts from January 9 and ends on February 6, 2022. After the preliminary stage, winners and runners-up in each of the six groups, plus the best four third-placed teams will proceed to the knockout phase of the tournament.

Other highlights of the official draw saw the Black Stars of Ghana paired with North African giants Morocco, Gabon and Comoros in Group C.

Below are the full draw of the Cameroon 2021 AFCON:

Group A: Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Cape Verde

Group B: Senegal, Zimbabwe, Guinee, Malawi

Group C: Morocco, Ghana, Comoros, Gabon

Group D: Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan, Guinea-Bissau

Group E: Algeria, Sierra-Leone, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire

Group F: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Gambia