Cameroon will face Mali in their first match of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after being pooled in Group D alongside the Ivory Coast and Guinea (Conakry) on Wednesday.

Group D is far from a group of death, with the Ivory Coast expected to be Cameroon’s main challenge, in spite of the West Africans’ declining fortunes with the departure of Didier Drogba, the team’s kingpin for many years.

Cameroon play Ivory Coast in their second game before going on to meet Guinea in their last group encounter.

Hosts of the tourney, Equatorial Guinea, pooled in Group A with two other Central African teams, will play the opening match against Congo on 17th January, 2015.

It should be noted that Equatorial Guinea took up hosting of the tournament after Morocco turned down the tournament citing the risks of an Ebola outbreak.

The draws are as follows:

Group A - E. Guinea, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Congo

Group B - Zambia, Tunisia, Cape Verde, RDC

Group C - Ghana, S. Africa, Senegal, Algeria

Group D - Ivory Coast, Mali, Cameroon, Guinea