CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - The next round of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in September have been postponed to allow the continent’s five World Cup-bound teams the opportunity for better preparatory matches before the tournament in Qatar, the Confederation of African Football said on Sunday.
The postponement had been muted for weeks, especially after the date for the next Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast was put back from June next year to January 2024.
Senegal coach Aliou Cisse was among the more vocal critics of the fixtures, which meant his country would have had to play two Cup of Nations qualifiers, home and away against Mozambique, in the final window of opportunity in September when they wanted to play against opposition from other continents ahead of the World Cup.
Senegal are expected to announce alternative fixtures soon.
Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia are the other African teams who will be playing at the World Cup finals.