2013 Africa Cup of Nations: Grouping, Fixture and Schedule

With the competition just over two months away, the 16 competing national teams were Grouped in 4 different groups.The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations final competition draw took place at the Durban International Convention Centre in South Africa on 24th October 2012 , with the 16 countries qualified for the tournament discovering who their opponents will be.The 16 teams were divided into four pots ahead of the draw. Pot A contained the seeded teams which included hosts South Africa, defending champions Zambia, Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. In Pot B Tunisia, Nigeria and Mali were joined by Angola.
North Africans Morocco and Algeria formed the base of Pot C, adding Niger and Burkina Faso to their section, leaving Togo, Cape Verde, DR Congo and east African hopefuls Ethiopia in the final Pot.

As host nation, South Africa qualified automatically as a top seed in Group A, and they were joined by minnows Cape Verde, north African giants Morocco and Angola.

On paper, it would seem that Group D is the most competitive of the four, as powerhouse national team Cote d'Ivoire find themselves selected in a section containing Togo, and the north African pairing of Algeria and Tunisia.

Other interesting clashes include Ghana against Mali in Group B, with DR Congo and Niger completing the group, while the Super Eagles of Nigeria will be facing the current Afcon title holders Zambia. The two remaining national teams in Group C are Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.

The 16 teams will play in five host cites throughout South Africa from January 19 to February 10, 2013, to determine the African champion who will represent the continent at the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup.

2013 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS FINAL DRAW

GROUP A  South Africa   Angola   Morocco   Cape Verde	GROUP B   Ghana  Mali   Niger   DR Congo
GROUP C  Zambia   Nigeria   Burkina Faso   Ethiopia	GROUP D  Cote d'Ivoire   Tunisia   Algeria   Togo

Here is the complete Schedule of AFrica Cup of nations 2013

Group A

   (Durban unless stated)

   Jan 19

   At Johannesburg

   South Africa v Cape Verde 1600, Angola v Morocco 1900

   Jan 23

   South Africa v Angola 1500, Morocco v Cape Verde 1800

   Jan 27

   South Africa v Morocco 1700

   At Port Elizabeth

   Cape Verde v Angola 1700

  

   Group B

   (Port Elizabeth unless noted)

   Jan 20

   Ghana v DR Congo 1500, Mali v Niger 1800

   Jan 24

   Ghana v Mali 1500, Niger v DR Congo 1800

   Jan 28

   Ghana v Niger 1700

   At Durban

   DR Congo v Mali 1700

  

   Group C

   (Nelspruit unless noted)

   Jan 21

   Zambia v Ethiopia 1500, Nigeria v Burkina Faso 1800

   Jan 25

   Zambia v Nigeria 1500, Burkina Faso v Ethiopia 1800

   Jan 29

   Zambia v Burkina Faso 1700

   At Rustenburg

   Ethiopia v Nigeria 1700

  

   Group D

   (Rustenburg unless noted)

   Jan 22

   Ivory Coast v Togo 1500, Tunisia v Algeria 1800

   Jan 26

   Ivory Coast v Tunisia 1500, Algeria v Togo 1800

   Jan 30

   Ivory Coast v Algeria 1700

   At Nelspruit

   Togo v Tunisia 1700

  

   Quarter-finals

   Feb 2

   At Port Elizabeth

   (1) Gp B winners v Gp A runners-up 1500

   At Durban

   (2) Gp A winners v Gp B runners-up 1830

   Feb 3

   At Rustenburg

   (3) Gp D winners v Gp C runners-up 1500

   At Nelspruit

   (4) Gp C winners v Gp D runners-up 1830

  

   Semi-finals

   Feb 6

   At Durban

   Winners quarter-final 2 v winners quarter-final 3 1500

   At Nelspruit

   Winners quarter-final 4 v winners quarter-final 1 1830

  

   Third place

   Feb 9

   At Port Elizabeth

   Semi-finals losers 1800

  

   Final

   Feb 10

   At Johannesburg

   Semi-finals winners 1800

  

   Match venues

   Johannesburg: Soccer City (94,000 capacity)

   Durban: Moses Mabhida Stadium (54,000)

   Nelspruit: Mbombela Stadium (41,000)

   Port Elizabeth: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (48,500)

   Rustenburg: Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace (42,000)