Algeria, Ghana drawn to difficult Africa Cup of Nations group

The Africa Cup of Nations staged its draw for the 2015 tournament on Wednesday.

Algeria, Ghana, Senegal and South Africa have been drawn together in Group C of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, which is set to take place in Jan. 17 to Feb. 8. 

All four teams are considered contenders to win the cup. The draw took place on Wednesday. 

Algeria, ranked No. 18 in the latest FIFA world rankings, is currently the highest-ranked team in Africa. Ghana has consistently been one of the strongest teams on the continent, while South Africa had a strong qualifying campaign. Senegal, which features players like Newcastle's Papiss Cisse and Southampton's Sadio Mane, is also projected to be one of the tournament's best teams. 

The 2015 tournament is set to take place in Equatorial Guinea after original host Morocco backed out due to fears of the Ebola virus. Equatorial Guinea is in Group A with Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon and Burkina Faso, which was runner-up in 2013. 

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Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cape Verde and Tunisia make up Group B, while Ivory Coast, Guinea, Cameroon and Mali comprise Group D. 

Nigera, which won the tournament in 2013, failed to qualify for the 2015 cup. 

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- Stanley Kay