Ghana have been exempted from competing in the first of a three-round qualifying series for the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Morocco 2023.
The Black Meteors were among the highly ranked sides to receive a bye in a live draw that took place in Cairo on Thursday, August 18.
Coach Ibrahim Tanko’s side will thus be involved from the second round after the first-round tie between Mozambique and Mauritius is decided over two legs between September 19 and 27, 2022.
The aggregate winner will play hosts to the Meteors in the first leg on the weekend of October 21-23, 2022.
The second Leg in Ghana is to come off on a date from October 28-30, 2022.
Should Ghana advance, they will come up against either Ethiopia, DR Congo or Algeria in the third round slated for March 20-28, 2023. Successful negotiation of the round will mean back-to-back qualifications for the Meteors after the last U-23 Afcon outing in Egypt in 2019.
Seven (7) nations will secure tickets to join hosts Morocco for the 4th edition of the U-23 Afcon in June 2023. The tournament will serve as the selection platform for Africa’s representatives for the next Olympic Games, Paris 2024.
The pairings:
First Round (September 19-27)
M. 1 & 2: Guinea-Bissau vs Niger
M. 3 & 4: Tanzania vs South Sudan
M. 5 & 6: Eswatini vs Botswana
M. 7 & 8: Mauritania vs Togo
M. 9 & 10: Ethiopia vs DR Congo
M. 11 & 12: Mozambique vs Mauritius
M. 13 & 14: Burkina Faso vs Gambia
M. 15 & 16: Libya vs Rwanda
M. 17 & 18: Madagascar vs Seychelles
M. 19 & 20: Angola vs Namibia
Second Round (First Leg: October 21-23, Second Leg: October 28-30)
M. 21 & 22: Winner 1 & 2 vs Côte d’Ivoire
M. 23 & 24: Sudan vs Benin
M. 25 & 26: Winner 3 & 4 vs Nigeria
M. 27 & 28: Guinea vs Uganda
M. 29 & 30: Winner 5 & 6 vs Egypt
M. 31 & 32: Sierra Leone vs Zambia
M. 33 & 34: Winner 7 & 8 vs South Africa
M. 35 & 36: Congo vs Tunisia
M. 37 & 38: Winner 9 & 10 (Ethiopia/DR Congo) vs Algeria
M. 39 & 40: Winner 11 & 12 (Mozambique/Mauritius) vs Ghana
M. 41 & 42: Winner 13 & 14 vs Senegal
M. 43 & 44: Winner 15 & 16 vs Mali
M. 45 & 46: Winner 17 & 18 vs Gabon
M. 47 & 48: Winner 19 & 20 vs Cameroon
Third Round (March 20-28, 2023)
M. 49 & 50: Winner 21/22 vs winner 23/24
M. 51 & 52: Winner 25/26 vs winner 27/28
M. 53 & 54: Winner 29/30 vs winner 31/32
M. 55 & 56: Winner 33/34 vs winner 35/36
M. 57 & 58: Winner 37/38 vs winner 39/40
M. 59 & 60: Winner 41/42 vs winner 43/44
M. 61 & 62: Winner 45/46 vs winner 47/48
