Bafana ride hosts' wave

South Africa will yet again ride on their qualification as hosts when the draw for next year's Africa Cup of Nations is conducted in Durban next week.

Thanks to their status as hosts of the continental showpiece - which will be staged from January 19 to February 10 - Bafana will avoid defending champions Zambia as well as African soccer powerhouses such as Ghana and Ivory Coast.

The three were among the top-seeded teams revealed by the Confederations of African Football yesterday.

South Africa, Ghana, Zambia and Ivory Coast - who seem to have been granted qualification despite their abandoned match against Senegal following riots in Dakar on Saturday - are all in pot one.

As a result, they cannot be drawn against on another.

However, a nightmare could be on the cards for Bafana - who will be in Group A when the draw is conducted - as Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Togo and Algeria are spread across the other three pots.

Qualification for next year's tournament came to a dramatic end at the weekend when minnows Cape Verde Islands beat Cameroon 3-2 on aggregate to clinch their place in the biannual African soccer extravaganza.

It will be their maiden Afcon appearance, making them the only debutants.

Cameroon skipper Samuel Eto'o, who returned to the side after boycotting the first leg, lashed out at his country's football federation for the Indomitable Lions' poor preparation for the qualifiers.

Speaking after the match, Eto'o, who plays for Russia's Anzhi Makhachkala, said: "Mentally, we had a difficult week before the game.

"We don't have to work under pressure because when we work under pressure, it is complicated. We have the time now to prepare for the World Cup. It must start today."

Another surprise was the reappearance of Ethiopia on the big stage.

The Black Lions are back after a 30-year absence following their victory over Sudan - a 5-5 aggregate score that saw them qualify on the away-goal rule.

Defending champions Zambia had to rely on a 9-8 penalty shootout victory against gutsy Uganda to progress, in a match that coach Herve Renard had expected would be one of the most testing his team had played in a while.

"This will be my third Afcon with Zambia, and with the players we have, I believe we can achieve more," the Frenchman said after the clash in Kampala.

NATIONS CUP SEEDINGS

Pot 1: South Africa, Zambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast.

Pot 2: Mali, Tunisia, Angola, Nigeria.

Pot 3: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Niger.

Pot 4: Togo, Cape Verde Islands, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia.