Johannesburg // Hosts Rwanda were placed with formidable opponents Morocco and Ivory Coast when the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) draw was made in Kigali on Sunday.
While the Rwandans were exempt from qualifying for a tournament restricted to home-based footballers, the Moroccans and Ivorians impressed in securing places among the 16 title challengers.
Morocco beat title-holders Libya twice and won a thriller away to Tunisia en route to securing one of two North African places in the region-based eliminators.
It will be a second successive CHAN appearance by Morocco, who surrendered a three-goal lead when beaten 4-3 by Nigeria in a 2014 quarter-final in Cape Town.
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Ivory Coast booked one of five West African slots at the expense of 2009 and 2014 runners-up Ghana, winning 1-0 at home to go through on away goals after a 2-1 first-leg loss.
Gabon, who complete Kigali-based Group A for the January 16-February 7 tournament, took an unusual route to the championship, winning away and losing at home against Chad.
Rwanda, a middleweight African football nation that are improving under 30-year-old Northern Ireland coach Johnny McKinstry, will be helped by most of the national squad being local based.
Morocco used a mix of home and foreign-based stars in World Cup qualifiers this week while the Ivory Coast campaign kicked off with an exclusively foreign line-up.
The CHAN rules mean star Gabon striker and 2015 African Footballer of the Year contender Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is ineligible because he plays for German club Borussia Dortmund.
Nigeria, who failed to qualify for the first two tournaments and finished third last year, are in Group C with fellow West African sides Niger and debutants Guinea plus 2011 champions Tunisia.
Democratic Republic of Congo, winners of the inaugural CHAN six years ago and one of only two countries to qualify for all four tournaments, face Angola, Cameroon and Ethiopia in Group B.
Zimbabwe, the other CHAN ever-presents, are the top seeds in Group D, with Mali, Uganda and Zambia completing the line-up.
Group A and C fixtures will be played in two Kigali stadiums, Butare in the south plays host to the Group B teams and Gisenyi in the west to the Group D sides.
President Paul Kagame attended the draw at a Kigali hotel, which was conducted by CAF secretary general Hicham El Amrani.
Acting FIFA president and CAF president Issa Hayatou missed the ceremony as he is recovering from a kidney transplant operation.
Groups draw
A: Rwanda, Gabon, Morocco, Ivory Coast
B: Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Cameroon, Ethiopia
C: Tunisia, Nigeria, Niger, Guinea
D: Zimbabwe, Mali, Uganda, Zambia
Note: group winners and runners-up qualify for quarter-finals
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