Eritrea have been drawn to face Botswana in the preliminary round of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 qualifiers.

The preliminary round of the qualifiers which will take place in March this year will involve 12 teams with the six aggregate winners joining the 42 highest ranked teams into the Group Stage of the qualifiers.

The draw conducted in Douala, Cameroon this afternoon also saw CECAFA members Djibouti paired against South Sudan, while Somalia will take on Eswatini.

Sao Tome & Principe have also be placed to face Mauritius, while Chad take on Gambia who have qualified for the round of 16 at the on-going AFCOn 2021 in Cameroon.

Former Cameroon captain Rigobert Song and Nigeria’s former star Emmanuel Amunike helped conduct the draw.

The 34th edition of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations will take place in Cote d’Ivoire.