Africa’s 2010 World Cup Qualifying And Cup Of Nations Draw Made
The remaining twenty teams in contention for a spot at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa learnt their fate yesterday, as the final group draw was made in Zurich. The teams were seeded based on their most recent FIFA World rankings and split into five groups of four.
Teams will play each other twice, with group winners advancing to the party in South Africa in two years time. The top three from each group will also qualify for the 2010 African Cup of Nations along with hosts Angola. The draw is as follows:
Group A – Cameroon, Morocco, Togo, Gabon
Group B – Nigeria, Tunisia, Kenya, Mozambique
Group C – Egypt, Zambia, Algeria, Rwanda
Group D – Ghana, Mali, Sudan, Benin
Group E – Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Malawi, Burkina Faso
The problem with seeding a group in which only one team can qualify is that, with all the other favourites shunted into different groups of their own, the number one seeds in each section consequently become overwhelming favourites to qualify from their respective groups. Can anyone see anything other than the top five seeds (Cameroon, Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire) making it to South Africa?
On paper Cameroon look to have been granted the toughest draw with Morocco and Togo, led by Emmanuel Adebayor, sure to provide difficult opposition, but as Africa’s top ranked side you would think the Indomitable Lions will be strong enough to safely navigate their path to the finals.
Nigeria will be pleased with their draw. On the back of a 100% record in qualifying so far, fans of the Super Eagles will expect nothing less than first place in Group B and a trip to South Africa in order to make amends for the previous team’s failure to reach Germany in 2006. Tunisia, always a handful, may have other ideas.
Current African champions Egypt appear to have the easiest draw, offering the Pharaoahs a fine chance at qualifying for their first World Cup in twenty years, but seeing off two much improved sides in Zambia and Algeria will not be a walk in the park. Rwanda may fight valiantly, but in truth look like being there just to make up the numbers.
Though Ghana will be made clear favourites in Group D, this group has the potential to be much closer than many might expect. Mali, with the likes of Fredi Kanoute, Mahamadou Diarra and Seydou Keita are no pushovers, while both Sudan and Benin are emerging as leaders of the new school in African football right now, with substantially more talent at their disposal than at any time in the last ten years. This could prove to be a very open group.
Cote d’Ivoire on the other hand look to have their group wrapped up. Guinea appear to be their closest challengers for a place in South Africa, but when you consider the Elephants’ 5-0 hammering of the Syli Nationale in the African Cup of Nations quarter-finals earlier this year, you imagine that Didier Drogba and co will have too much for the likes of Burkina Faso and Malawi.
2010 will be the first World Cup featuring six participants from Africa, mainly because South Africa automatically qualify as hosts yet failed to make it into the final group stage.
The matches are scheduled to take place between March and November 2009.
African Football,
FIFA,
World Cup 2010
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