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All you need to know ahead of Friday's AWCON 2022 draw with Nigeria already in Group C

The Super Falcons are already in Group C, and cannot face Cameroon or Morocco, but why? This guide answers all the questions including, the time for the draw.
The Super Falcons are the defending champions of the AWCON
The Super Falcons are the defending champions of the AWCON

With all qualifying matches completed, and female national teams to participate at the 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) decided, all is set for Friday's draw.

The Super Falcons qualified for the AWCON back in February, after a 3-0 aggregate win over Cote d'Ivoire in the final round of the qualifying series.

Ahead of the draw to hold at the Mohamed VI Complex in Rabat, Morocco, here are the key things to know.

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What time is the draw?

The draw holding on Friday, April 29th, will according to CAF, commence at 20:30 GMT - 9.30 pm Nigeria time (21:30 GMT). Nigeria is 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

What teams are involved?

A total of 12 teams, including hosts Morocco, have qualified for the 14th edition of the AWCON. 

It will be the first time that 12 teams: as compared to 8 in previous tournaments, will feature at the women's showpiece event.

Seeded teams: Morocco (hosts), Cameroon, Nigeria

Pot 1 (remaining teams): Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Burundi, Tunisia, Senegal, Botswana, Burkina Faso, South Africa

How does the draw work?

Hosts Morocco, Cameroon and the Super Falcons: the three seeded teams will go into Groups A, B and C respectively.

The three teams will hold positions A1, B1 and C1 in their respective groups.

Three additional pots will be used: A, B, and C, with each pot containing three (3) balls.

The first ball drawn from Pot 1 will go to Group A, and a ball will then be drawn from Pot A to determine its position in the group (A2, A3 or A4).

The second ball drawn from Pot 1 will go to group B, and a ball will be drawn from Pot B to determine its position in the group (B2, B3, B4).  

The third ball drawn from Pot 1 will go to group C, and a ball will be drawn from Pot C to determine its position in the group (C2, C3, C4).

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This procedure will be repeated for all the remaining teams in Pot 1.

Why do the Super Falcons have a group already?

Because seeded teams cannot face each other in the group stages, they were given automatic spots in each group.

Morocco, as hosts of the competition, were offered Group A.

Cameroon, the second best-ranked team in Africa: after Nigeria, were offered Group B.

Nigeria, as defending champions, were offered Group C.

What teams can join the Super Falcons in Group C?

Asides from the seeded teams, any of the teams in Pot 1 can get drawn into Group C, with Nigeria.

The top two teams from each group will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals, with two of the third-place finishers making up the last 8.

When is the 2022 AWCON?

The tournament will be hosted in Morocco from July 2 to 23, 2022. Morocco were announced as the host by the CAF Executive Committee on 15th January 2021.

How does the AWCON affect the Women's World Cup?

The AWCON doubles as the African qualifiers for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The top four teams at the AWCON will automatically qualify for the World Cup with two more teams, proceeding to the inter-confederation play-offs to seek a place in the Australia-New Zealand-hosted tournament.

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