The international break has almost come to an end, and we now know all but one of the ties for the second round of Caf’s World Cup qualifiers.
The 41 teams that remain in contention will all be aware that a place at the global showcase in Russia is still some distance away, but for those who have advanced past the first round of qualifiers, the hope will still be burning brightly that they can run the gauntlet and steal a spot among the world’s finest in three summers’ time.
However, in the second round, the continent’s heavyweights are introduced, and the minnows that have sneaked through to this point will be under no illusion that tougher tests await them.
Draw for World Cup second qualifying round in Africa:
Niger v Cameroon
Mauritania v Tunisia
Namibia v Guinea
Ethiopia v Congo Brazzaville
Chad v Egypt
Comoros v Ghana
Djibouti or Swaziland v Nigeria
Botswana v Mali
Burundi v Democratic Republic of Congo
Liberia v Ivory Coast
Madagascar v Senegal
Kenya v Cape Verde
Tanzania v Algeria
Sudan v Zambia
Libya v Rwanda
Morocco v Equatorial Guinea
Mozambique v Gabon
Benin v Burkina Faso
Togo v Uganda
Angola v South Africa
