By Attah Ede with Agency Report
Nigeria will battle Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, and Madagascar in the qualification series for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
This followed the 2027 AFCON draw held in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday, which placed the Super Eagles in Group L of the qualifiers 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 faced Guinea-Bissau in the group stage. Both nations also met during the qualification race for the 2023 AFCON as well as at the main competition in Côte d’Ivoire.
Nigeria and Tanzania also faced each other at the 2025 AFCON, with the three-time African champions winning 2-1.
At the 2019 AFCON, the Super Eagles defeated Madagascar 2-0 in a group-stage encounter. Nigeria finished third at the last AFCON and were runners-up in 2023.
There are 12 groups in the qualification race for the tournament to be hosted by Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.
Ghana were drawn in the same group as Côte d’Ivoire, while Gambia and Somalia complete Group C. The winners and runners-up after six matchdays between September and March will qualify for the tournament.
The clash between four-time winners Ghana and three-time champions Côte d’Ivoire came as a result of Ghana being placed among the second seeds. Seeding was based on the current world rankings.
Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Cape Verde are among the African countries competing for places at the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off next month in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Cape Verde, whose World Cup qualification campaign at the expense of Cameroon has been one of the biggest surprises among the nine African groups, are in Group K with Mali, Rwanda, and Liberia.
South Africa are in Group D with Guinea, co-hosts Kenya, and Eritrea. With Kenya qualifying automatically, the other three teams will battle for one ticket to East Africa.
Morocco share Group A with Gabon, Niger, and Lesotho, while Senegal will face Mozambique, Sudan, and Ethiopia in Group J.
Morocco lost a dramatic 2025 final to Senegal in Rabat before later being declared winners after an appeal to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The appeal followed an incident in which several Senegal players left the pitch after Morocco were awarded an added-time penalty.
Senegal eventually returned, Brahim Diaz missed the spot kick, and Pape Gueye scored the 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 because of delays in 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 recently assured reporters.
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 after Kenya and Libya were unable to do so, respectively. Kenya failed to meet preparation deadlines, while security concerns ruled out Libya.
From 2028, the AFCON will change from a biennial tournament to one held every four years. The adjustment was made to align the competition with the global football calendar.
AFCON 2027 Qualification Draw
Group A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho
Group B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan
Group C: Côte d’Ivoire, 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 involving a co-host. In the three groups containing co-hosts, only one other team qualifies.
Matchdays
1 and 2: September 21–October 6, 2026
3 and 4: November 9–17, 2026
5 and 6: March 22–30, 2027.
