NIGERIA will lock horns with Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, and Madagascar in the qualification series for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that this followed the 2027 AFCON draw held in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday, which saw the Super Eagles in Group L of the qualification race for the next continental showpiece.
Nigeria’s opponents are not new to the three-time AFCON winners, as they have faced them in recent years.
At the 2021 AFCON, the Super Eagles battled Guinea-Bissau in the group stages. Both nations were also opponents in the qualification race for the 2023 AFCON as well as the main competition in Côte d’Ivoire.
Nigeria and Tanzania faced off at the 2025 AFCON, but the three-time African champions beat them 2-1.
In the 2019 AFCON, the Super Eagles were 2-0 winners over Madagascar. That was in a group stage outing. Nigeria finished third at the last AFCON and were runners-up in 2023.
There are a total of 12 groups for the qualification race for the tournament set to be hosted by Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.
Ghana were drawn in the same group as Côte d’Ivoire. Gambia and Somalia complete Group C, and the winners and runners-up after six matchdays between September and March qualify for the tournament.
The clash of four-time winners Ghana and three-time champions Ivory Coast resulted from Ghana being among the second seeds. Seeding was based on the current world rankings.
Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Cape Verde are among 10 African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off next month in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Cape Verde, whose World Cup qualification at the expense of Cameroon was the biggest shock among the nine African groups, are in Group K of the AFCON with Mali, Rwanda, and Liberia.
South Africa are in Group D with Guinea, co-hosts Kenya, and Eritrea. With the Kenyans qualifying automatically, the other three teams will fight for one ticket to East Africa.
Morocco share Group A with Gabon, Niger and Lesotho.
Senegal will face Mozambique, Sudan, and Ethiopia in Group J.
Morocco lost a dramatic 2025 final to Senegal in Rabat, only to be declared winners after an appeal to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The appeal resulted from many Senegal players leaving the pitch after Morocco were awarded an added-time penalty.
Senegal eventually returned, Brahim Diaz missed the spot kick, and Pape Gueye struck an extra-time winner.
Senegal reacted to being stripped of the title by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland and are awaiting a verdict.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe has repeatedly refuted reports that the 2027 AFCON would be postponed or taken away from the co-hosts due to delays with preparations.
“The next (2027) AFCON is going to be in East Africa during June and July next year. I have no doubts about that, despite all the challenges,” he assured reporters recently.
Meanwhile, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe have officially applied to host the 2028 AFCON. If successful, it would be the first edition staged in four countries.
South Africa hosted the 1996 and 2013 editions as replacements for Kenya and Libya, respectively. Kenya did not meet preparation deadlines, while security issues ruled out Libya.
From 2028, the AFCON will change from being a biennial to a four-yearly event. The change was necessitated to fit the event into the global calendar.
AFCON 2027 Qualification Draw
Group A
Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho
Group B
Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
Group C
Ivory Coast, Ghana, Gambia, Somalia
Group D
South Africa, Guinea, Kenya (co-host), Eritrea
Group E
Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe
Group F
Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Central African Republic
Group G
Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo Brazzaville
Group H
Tunisia, Uganda (co-host), Libya, Botswana
Group I
Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi
Group J
Senegal, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia
Group K
Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia
Group L
Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania (co-host), Guinea-Bissau
Note: Winners and runners-up qualify from nine groups, not including a co-host. In three groups, including a co-host, only one other team qualifies
Matchdays
1, 2: September 21-Oct 6
3, 4: November 9-17
5, 6: March 22-30 2027