Why the 2019 AFCON Draw seems not to be making a lot of sense?

“ For instance, group A which comprises of hosts Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda and Zimbabwe had three of the four nations that topped their respective groups. Ideally and more sensibly, the groups should have an equal balance of those who finished first and second – at least as a reward for the exploits of those who topped their groups. ”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

The wait is over, the 24 finalists of this year’s Total Africa Cup of Nations were grouped last night in Egypt at a special event, held in the beautiful open space with a scenic view of the Sphinx and the historic pyramid of Giza. Battle lines were drawn long ago at the dawning of the qualifiers and now the chasing pack have learnt of their next opponents. However, there is something less interesting about the outcome of the draw, at least in my eyes.

Referencing the UEFA Champions League competition for example, there are rules that are factored in deciding fixtures and opponents, which include the club’s country of origin, final position in the group stages and popularly the seeding or in other words the ranking of the club. For example, in a typical UCL round of 16 draw, no two teams that faced each other in the preceding group stages can be drawn together, neither can two clubs from the same country and teams that finished first can only play those that were second as reward for getting pole position. Now, it all seems different for the first AFCON finals tournament to host 24 nations.

In seeding the finalists, the most recent FIFA World rankings were employed. A case can be made to use such a ranking but it may be less specific to the African continent thus have seemingly failed to incorporate the performance of the teams in the qualifiers or any other factors that make the competition more diverse. For instance, group A which comprises of hosts Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda and Zimbabwe had three of the four nations that topped their respective groups. Ideally and more sensibly, the groups should have an equal balance of those who finished first and second – at least as a reward for the exploits of those who topped their groups. Even worse, DR Congo and Zimbabwe faced each other in the qualifiers group stage and have do battle all over again whereas the competition and experience would have been more diverse and rich if the opponents were shuffled well with 22 other finalists. DR Congo who finished second behind Zimbabwe in their group even got a higher seeding than table topping Zimbabwe. One would be justified, should their question the importance of the qualifiers themselves. The same applies with the resultant group D that features one team that finished first in the qualifier groups, that is Morocco and then Namibia, Ivory Coast and South Africa who were all second. I obviously have more reservations about the resulting groups and the procedure of the draw of which time may not permit me to explore. Furthermore, the UEFA draw procedures are by no means a perfect standard but have indeed travelled some distance in promoting fairness and overall competition of the game.

Egyptian players celebrate winning after the Africa Cup of Nations final match between Ghana and Egypt from Universitaria Stadium on January 31, 2010 in Luanda, Angola.

(Jan. 30, 2010 - Source: Gallo Images/Getty Images Europe)

After all is said and done, all this will not make the competition less interesting but might take a little bit of fun out it. Rest assured, all the 24 nations will arrive in Egypt with a simple goal of conquering the continent and as we have seen in times past, they are no really underdogs in Africa.

The first and the second place finishers in the group stages are guaranteed round of 16 knock-out spots as well as four other best third-placed teams.

Here are the complete groups of the 2019 AFCON to run from the 21st of June – 19th of July in Egypt.

Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe

Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi

Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania

Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia

Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola

Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau

2019 AWCON: Falcons regain momentum as EG succumb to another humiliating defeat

Ever since the Falcons were defeated by South Africa in their opening match last Sunday, many began to scrutinize the team’s chances of retaining the AWCON title. After the upset, the 10-time champions  were on a mission to remove any doubt amongst fans of their championship form and ability. On Wednesday night they did just that as they subjected the She-polopolo of Zambia to a brutal 4-0 defeat. The win was a reminder to fans and spectators of the game why they deserve to be called the best team on the continent.

Emily Zurrer (R) of Canada and Desire Oparanozie (L) of Nigeria battle for the ball during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 Group A match between Canada and Nigeria at Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion on July 5, 2011 in Dresden, Germany.

(July 4, 2011 - Source: Martin Rose/Getty Images Europe)

The Nigerians dominated the game scoring the first goal in the first half and packing the last three goals into the second half. Despite the dominance of the Nigerians, the She-polopolo defence proved difficult for the Falcons in the early stages of the game. Eventually, the Nigerians established their lead in the 42nd minute thanks to the precision of En Avant de Guingamp striker, Desire Oparanozie.

The Super Falcons built on the momentum of the 1-0 lead in the second half with Francisca Ordega, Rasheedat Ajibade and Amarachi Okoronkwo all scoring in the second half to secure the much needed win for the defending champions.

Zambia had started the tournament with a very convincing 5-0 win against Equatorial Guinea while Nigeria suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss to their Southern African rivals, Banyana Banyana. Both teams need to secure a win in their final group stages match on Saturday to qualify for the semi-finals.

Meanwhile in the second match of the day, Group B counterparts South Africa put one foot in the semi finals as they pulled out a great performance against Equatorial Guinea to win the match 7-1.

Thembi Kgatlana of South Africa runs with the ball during the Women's Group E first round match between South Africa and China PR on Day 1 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 6, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

(Aug. 5, 2016 - Source: Harry How/Getty Images South America)

Banyana Banyana showed their skill and solid tactical advantage over the two-time AWCON champions throughout the match. The opener came in the form of a penalty which was awarded when defender Dorine Chuigoue was sanctioned for a handball inside her penalty area. Houston Dash forward, Linda Motlhalo was given the responsibility of taking the penalty and she did so with ease, giving South Africa 1-0 lead in the 20th minute of the game.

Thembi Kgatlana pulled out two assists and a brace against Nzalang Nacional. The goal scorer in opening match against Nigeria reinforced why she is a crucial part of the South African attack and for Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League. She is laying up quite a claim for being the 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations if you ask me.

Amanda Mthandi and Jermaine Seoposenwe also added their names to the score board minutes before the final whistle to bring to a close the amazing collective performance from the South Africans. Desiree Ellis’ team will look to maintain the brilliant form through to the semi finals where they will have a real chance of being crowned the champions at the 11th edition of the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, for what would be the first time-ever.

South Africa’s next match up will be against their Southern African comrades the She-polopolo while Nigeria are strong favorites heading into the Equatorial Guinea match.