African champions Algeria get favourable draw in World Cup qualifiers

Soccer Football - 2022 World Cup - African Qualifiers Draw - Nile Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Cairo, Egypt - January 21, 2020 General view of French former professional footballer Marcel Desailly and Ivory Coast coach Clementine Toure on stage during the draw REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

(Reuters) - African champions Algeria will begin their bid for a place at the 2022 World Cup against tiny Djibouti in October after the draw was made for the qualifying group stage in Cairo on Tuesday.

Only the top team in each of the 10 pools advance to the final knockout stages, where they will play home and away for a place in Qatar, and Algeria will be confident of advancing from Group A that also contains Burkina Faso and Niger.