Da Gama’s side will open the men's tournament with a clash against the host nation on August 4.
“I am very happy with the draw. It reminds me of the CAF Under-23 Afcon where we were drawn against the hosts and we eliminated them – maybe this is a good luck omen for us,” said Da Gama from Rio after the draw.
“But then again, no draw is easy because all the teams are tough. We could not have asked for a better opening match because the pressure will be on Brazil as hosts.
“The fact that we have drawn Brazil gives us confidence and a lot of motivation to tackle this competition. Fortunately, we played them last month and even though we lost, we know what they are about but that doesn’t mean they will be there for the taking. We still have to work hard.
“And I am by no means disregarding Iraq and Denmark – these are very good sides and we have to plan carefully for all of them so we can get to the next round.”
Opening match
Thursday, 4 August
Brasilia
Quarter-finals
Saturday, 13 August
Brasilia, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Sao Paulo
Semi-finals
Wednesday, 17 August
Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro (Maracana Stadium)
Bronze medal match
Saturday, 20 August
Belo Horizonte
Gold medal match
Saturday, 20 August
Rio de Janeiro (Maracana Stadium)