JUBA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan will battle Equatorial Guinea in the first round of African qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The draw was announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Cairo, Egypt on Monday.
The Bright Stars of South Sudan will face the National Thunder of Equatorial Guinea in a home-and-away showpiece for a place in the group stage. The games are set to be played between September 2 and 10.
The east African country is currently ranked 169th in the latest FIFA rankings and their central African counterparts are 30 places above them.
South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, has failed to qualify for major international tournaments since becoming a FIFA member in May 2012.
The 14 teams from the qualification play-offs will join other 26 highly-ranked teams in the group stage, with only five teams advancing to Qatar 2022.
