NIGERIA national football team could face familiar rivals Ghana national football team, Guinea national football team or Zambia national football team in the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
News Point Nigeria Sports reports that the possible matchups emerged on Monday after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) officially unveiled the four pots ahead of Tuesday’s qualification draw.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles were placed in Pot One alongside some of the continent’s top football nations, while Ghana and Zambia were listed in Pot Two, setting the stage for potential heavyweight clashes during the qualification campaign.
Other countries drawn in Pot One with Nigeria include Morocco national football team, Senegal national football team, Algeria national football team, Egypt national football team, Côte d’Ivoire national football team and Tunisia national football team.
Also included in Pot One are Cameroon national football team, DR Congo national football team, Mali national football team, South Africa national football team and Burkina Faso national football team.
Meanwhile, Pot Two contains Ghana, Zambia, Guinea, Gabon national football team, Uganda national football team, Angola national football team, Benin national football team, Mozambique national football team, Madagascar national football team, Equatorial Guinea national football team and Comoros national football team.
While Ghana and Guinea failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco, Zambia exited the competition at the group stage, adding extra motivation for the teams ahead of the 2027 qualifiers.
The qualification series will be played across two windows, with matchdays one to four scheduled for September and October 2026, while matchdays five and six will take place in November 2026.
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
Nigeria heads into the qualifiers with renewed confidence after finishing third at the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco, where the Super Eagles defeated Egypt national football team to secure the bronze medal.
The Super Eagles are also seeking to reclaim continental glory, with their last AFCON triumph coming in 2013 in South Africa, when they defeated Burkina Faso national football team 1-0 in the final to lift the title.
