Tough draw for AFCON hosts

Malabo - Africa Cup of Nations co-hosts Equatorial Guinea and Gabon were given tough tasks in Saturday's draw for next year's finals.

Equatorial Guinea, who will be playing in their first-ever finals at the showpiece of African football, were seeded into Group A, with its matches to be played in Bata.

Also in the group are Libya, who will contest the opening match on January 21 against Equatorial Guinea, Senegal and Zambia.

Co-hosts Gabon, who will play their Group C games in Libreville, were drawn against Niger, who are making their first appearance at the finals, as well as north African rivals Tunisia and Morocco.

The Ivory Coast were drawn into Group B, which will play in the capital of Equatorial Guinea, Malabo. There they will face Sudan, as well as Burkina Faso and Angola.

The second Gabon group, which will be played in Franceville, sees Ghana as the top seed, Africa Cup of Nations rookies Botswana, Guinea and Mali.

The draw for the 2012 African Nations Cup finals conducted in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on Saturday:

Group A: Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Senegal, Zambia

Group B: Ivory Coast, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Angola

Group C: Gabon, Niger, Morocco, Tunisia

Group D: Ghana, Botswana, Mali, Guinea

The tournament is being co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon from Jan. 21 to Feb. 12.