2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification preliminary round
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| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 23–29 March 2022 |
| Teams | 12 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 10 |
| Goals scored | 29 (2.9 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Six players (2 goals each) |
← 2021 2025 → | |
The preliminary round of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification tournament decided the six teams which advanced to the group stage of the qualification tournament. The preliminary round consisted of the twelve lowest-ranked teams among the 54 entrants, and was held from 23 to 29 March 2022.
The twelve teams were split into six ties which were played in home-and-away two-legged format.[1] The six winners: Botswana (awarded), São Tomé and Príncipe, South Sudan, Lesotho, Eswatini and Gambia advanced to the group stage to join the 42 teams which entered directly.[2][3]
The draw for the preliminary round was held on 21 January 2022 at 16:00 WAT (UTC+1) in Douala, Cameroon.[4] The twelve involved national teams were previously seeded into two pots of six based on the FIFA World Rankings from 23 December 2021 (shown in parentheses).[5]
The teams in bold qualified for the qualifying group stage.[6]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
|---|---|
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|
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Former Cameroon captain Rigobert Song and Nigerian former player Emmanuel Amunike were the draw assistants during the ceremony.[7] The draw resulted in six ties.[1]
