Kenya pooled with Ghana, Ethiopia for 2019 AFCON Qualifiers

Harembee Stars players posing for the team photo before facing Guinea Bissau in their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on 23rd , March, 2016.PHOTO/FKF

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 12 – Kenya’s Harambee Stars have been handed former champions Ghana, neighbors Ethiopia and Sierra Leone in Group F of the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) which will be held in Cameroon.

Due to improved rankings, Kenya will head straight into the group stages and avoid the preliminary round qualifiers as has happened before.

The first round of group matches will be played in June with the fixture expected to be drafted soon after the draw conducted on Thursday night in Libreville, Gabon.

Kenya will be seeking to return to the AFCON for the first time since 2004 and the current Football Kenya Federation office after missing the 2017 event pegged their hopes on the Cameroon tournament.

Group L will also see another local derby of sorts with Uganda pooled against East Africa neighbors Tanzania as well as Lesotho and Cape Verde.

Nigeria who missed the 2017 edition after losing to Egypt in the Qualifiers will attempt to return to the high table of African football in 2019 but they will face stiff competition in Group E as they have been pooled with South Africa.

Group I also pits another set of local rivalry with North African giants Tunisia and a Egypt facing off alongside Niger and Swaziland.

All group winners from the 12 pools will qualify for the tournament and will be joined by three of the best second placed teams and hosts Cameroon.

Cameroon are placed in Group B alongside Morocco, Malawi and the winner between Comoros and Mauritania in the preliminary round.

Their matches in the group will only count as friendlies and will not affect the final ranking of the group.

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