Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been drawn in Group L of the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, where they will battle Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and co-hosts Tanzania for a place at the continental tournament.
The draw ceremony was held on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association in Cairo, Egypt, with former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong serving as one of the assistants during the exercise.
Nigeria, who were seeded in Pot One, were handed what many observers consider a relatively favourable group. However, the presence of Tanzania as one of the tournament’s co-hosts means only one team from Group L will qualify automatically for the finals, making every match crucial for the three-time African champions.
The 2027 AFCON will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027, marking the first time the competition will be staged across the three East African nations.
A total of 48 countries will compete in the qualifying series, which has been divided into 12 groups. While the winners and runners-up from nine groups will qualify for the tournament, only one team can progress from groups that include any of the co-host nations.
The qualifying campaign will begin during the FIFA international window between September 21 and October 6, 2026, when the opening two rounds of fixtures will be played. Matchdays Three and Four are scheduled for November 9 to 17, 2026, while the final round of games will take place between March 22 and 30, 2027.
Elsewhere in the draw, defending champions Morocco national football team were placed in Group A alongside Gabon, Niger and Lesotho, while 2025 runners-up Senegal national football team will face Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia in Group J.
One of the standout fixtures of the qualifiers will come in Group C, where four-time champions Ghana national football team were drawn against reigning continental powerhouse Ivory Coast national football team, with Gambia and Somalia completing the group.
South Africa will face Guinea, Eritrea and co-host Kenya in Group D, while Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia and Congo Brazzaville make up Group G.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe recently dismissed reports suggesting the 2027 tournament could be postponed due to concerns over preparations in East Africa.
“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,” Motsepe assured reporters.
Meanwhile, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have jointly submitted a bid to host the 2028 AFCON tournament. If approved, it would become the first edition of the competition to be staged across four countries.
CAF also confirmed that from 2028 onward, the Africa Cup of Nations will switch from a biennial tournament to a four-year cycle in a move aimed at aligning the competition more effectively with the global football calendar.
