Algeria face long qualifying route to 2021 Africa Cup of Nations

Forward Baghdad Bounedjah celebrates a 2-1 victory over Nigeria that qualified Algeria for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations final in Cairo. (AFP/MOHAMED EL-SHAHED)

The Desert Foxes were placed in Group H with three southern African states, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, when the draw was made in Cairo on Thursday.

There are no direct air links between Algiers and Lusaka, Harare and Gaborone, which will add to the travel time of a squad currently captained by Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez.

It is a good draw for Algeria though, as Zimbabwe flopped in the 2019 tournament, Zambia failed to qualify and Botswana took one point from a possible 18 in their last campaign.

Senegal, whose top player is Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, face a slightly less daunting travel schedule in Group I against Congo Brazzaville, Guinea-Bissau and eSwatini.

The Teranga Lions should finish comfortable winners with Congo and Guinea-Bissau the likeliest contenders for the second qualifying place.

Madagascar, whose qualification for the quarter-finals was the shock of the 2019 Cup of Nations, were put in Group K with the Ivory Coast, Niger and Ethiopia.

The Ivorians appear the probable table-toppers, while the Malagasys set out to prove they are not one-tournament wonders.

Nigeria, who beat Tunisia 1-0 on Wednesday in the third place playoff, will meet fellow west African nations Benin and Sierra Leone plus Lesotho.

Ghana and South Africa are in Group C and both should qualify at the expense of Sudan and the winners of a preliminary round tie between Mauritius and Sao Tome e Principe.

Although automatic qualifiers as hosts, Cameroon will take part to gain competitive match practice, leaving Cape Verde, Mozambique and Rwanda to contest the other Group F place.

Uganda, the strongest of the east African nations at the 2019 tournament, are with Burkina Faso, Malawi and South Sudan or the Seychelles in Group B.

The four two-leg preliminary ties will be played in October and the group phase kicks off the following month with two rounds.