Sixteen countries will learn their opponents at the Africa Cup of Nations when the draw is made today in Malabo, the capital of co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, at 1800 GMT.

Surprise inclusions among the 16 teams going into four glass bowls are first-time qualifiers Botswana, Niger and co-hosts Equatorial Guinea.

But notable absentees are Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa who failed to qualify.

Niger also make their first appearance as well as and Equatorial Guinea who are automatic participants as co-hosts.

The seedings have been based on performances in the past three editions of the competition with weighting given to the more recent tournaments. Equatorial Guinea, who will be making their debut, and fellow hosts Gabon will be among the top seeds in Pot One with four-time winners Ghana and 1992 champions Ivory Coast.