Football: Can 2013-Seychelles will play DR Congo |12 January 2012

The African football governing body Caf (Confederation of African Football) released the draw recently. As from 2013, the African Cup of Nations will be played at odd years instead of even to avoid clashing with the World Cup.

The first leg of the qualifier is set for the end of February and the second leg will be played in mid-June.

The winners of the Seychelles-Democratic Republic of Congo clash will move to the second round of the qualifiers together with the other 13 first-round winners.

They will be joined in the second round by the 16 teams who will be taking part in the 2012 African Cup of Nations final stage in Gabion and Equatorial Guinea from January 21-February 14.

Co-hosts Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia and Zambia are the 16 teams who have won byes into the second round.

A second draw will be made to pair the 30 teams who will battle for 15 of the 16 places at the 2013 finals in South Africa. Hosts South Africa will complete the line-up.

Seychelles won a bye into the first round to face DR Congo after Swaziland pulled out of the qualifiers.
The Seychelles national team were to play Swaziland in the first leg of the preliminary round last week week, but the Swaziland Football Association pulled its team out of the qualifiers on Sunday January 1, 2012, saying it does not have the funds for the trip to Seychelles.

The Caf is expected to impose a fine on the kingdom of Swaziland for the withdrawal. Swaziland would also face the possibility of being banned from the 2015 tournament.

Can 2013 first round draw
Ethiopia v Benin
Rwanda v Nigeria
Congo Brazzaville v Uganda
Burundi v Zimbabwe
Algeria v Gambia
Kenya v Togo
Sao Tome or Lesotho v Sierra Leone
Guinea Bissau v Cameroon
Chad v Malawi
Seychelles v Democratic Republic of Congo
Tanzania v Mozambique
Central African Republic v Egypt
Madagascar v Cape Verde Islands
Liberia v Namibia

First leg: February 29, second: June 15-17

G. G.