August 20, (THEWILL) – A bye into the second round of qualification for the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco has been granted to 10 participating countries, including former champions, Nigeria, Gabon, and Egypt.
Twenty nations, including Togo and Tanzania, will compete in the first round, which will take place between September 19 and 27. On Thursday addition, 10 first-round fixtures were produced by the qualifying draw, including Ethiopia versus DR Congo and Angola versus Namibia.
Also, four of the 14 second round matchups have already been determined: Congo versus Tunisia, Guinea versus Uganda, Sierra Leone versus Zambia, and Sudan versus Benin Republic. These matches will be split into two legs, from October 21–23 and October 28–30.
In addition to Nigeria, Gabon and Egypt, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Algeria, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, and Mali will also skip the first round. The seven teams that will join hosts Morocco for the continental competition the following year will be chosen from the 14 winners who advance to the third round of qualifying, which is slated for March 2023.
Also, the top three finishers in the competition will earn the right to represent Africa in men’s football at the Paris 2024 Olympics, providing another motivation to advance to the finals in June.
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