Kigali: Rwanda will have to face Cameroon, Cape Verde and Mozambique in the contest for a place in the 2021 Afcon tournament.
The draw ceremony was anchored by Anthony Bafoe, CAF deputy secretary at the Marriot Hotel, Cairo on Thursday night.
The 33rd edition of the showpiece is billed to take place in Cameroon in the summer of 2021.
The 48 nations, including hosts Cameroon, have been split into 12 groups consisting of four teams, with two teams from each group progressing to the finals.
The Amavubi Stars will face the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in Group F of the qualifiers for the 2021 event.
Other opponents for Rwanda in the group are Cape Verde and Mozambique. The qualification ties will be staged from October 7 and will end in November 2020.
Rwanda last participated at the 2004 competition but got eliminated in the group stage after losing one match to Tunisia; drew one match against Guinea and defeated DR Congo.
Egypt, hosts of the 2019 showpiece and eight-time champions, were drawn in Group G and will slug it out with Kenya, Togo and Comoros.
This year’s finalists, Algeria and Senegal have been pitted in Group H and I, respectively.
The former will play Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, while Aliou Cisse’s troops will slug it out with Congo, Guinea Bissau and Swaziland.
Group C is headlined by Ghana and South Africa, with the pair set to compete with Sudan and one of Mauritius and Sao Tome and Principe.
After disappointing as tournament favourites in Egypt, Morocco will pick themselves up for the qualifiers as they battle Mauritania, Central African Republic and Burundi in Group E.
Three-time African champions, Nigeria, will face West African neighbours Benin in Group L, as well as Sierra Leone and Lesotho.
Groups J and K are headlined by Tunisia and Ivory Coast. The Eagles of Carthage will have to navigate ties against Libya, Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea, while the Elephants will play Niger, Ethiopia and Madagascar – who impressed in their first outing at the showpiece in Egypt.
Mali, Burkina Faso and DR Congo are the top seeds in Groups A, B and D respectively. The trio will encounter Guinea, Uganda and Gabon in their quest to make the final 24 teams at the finals.
At the end of the preliminary competitions, 24 teams will be at the Africa Cup of Nations while five represent the continent at the World Cup. (End)