Africa's Olympic qualifying draw set for 24 September
Last updated on .From the section Football
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has announced the draw for December's final Olympic qualifiers will take place on 24 September.
Eight teams, including hosts Egypt, will take part in the event, which runs from 26 November to 10 December.
The top three teams will qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, while the fourth will face an Asian side in a play-off.
Caf has rebranded the competition Africa's first Under-23 championships.
The continental ruling body already stages Under-20 and Under-17 tournaments, both of which serve as qualifiers for Fifa's World Cups in the respective age groups.
The draw on Saturday 24 September will take place in the Egyptian capital Cairo at 1200 local time.
Joining Egypt in the pot are Algeria, Gabon and Ivory Coast, while Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa have also made it through.
The eight teams will be divided into two groups of four teams, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals.
This will be the third and final round of qualifying.
The London Olympics will take place from 27 July to 12 August 2012.
In a separate development, the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations mascot will be unveiled at a ceremony in the Gabonese capital Libreville on Friday 16 September.
Caf describes the unveiling of the mascot, christened 'GaGuie', as "a major step towards the much-anticipated kick-off" of the finals.
Equatorial Guinea and Gabon will host the tournament next January and officials from both local organising committees are expected to be in attendance.
The Nations Cup will be held from 21 January to 12 February 2012.
