Super Eagles Draw Madagascar, Tanzania And Guinea-Bissau In AFCON 2027 Qualifiers
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been placed in Group L for the qualifiers of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, where they will battle Madagascar, co-hosts Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau for a place at the tournament.
The draw ceremony took place on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association in Cairo. Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong was among the officials who assisted during the draw.
A total of 48 countries will compete in the qualification series, with the teams divided into 12 groups. Twenty-four nations will eventually secure places at the tournament, which will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
Nigeria, who were seeded in Pot 1, received what many consider to be a favourable group. However, because Tanzania have already qualified automatically as one of the hosts, only the team that finishes top of Group L will earn a ticket to the competition.
The same qualification rule will apply to every group containing one of the co-host nations, while the top two teams from the other groups will progress to the finals.
Elsewhere, 2023 champions Côte d’Ivoire were drawn in Group C alongside Ghana, The Gambia and Somalia. Defending champions Senegal will take on Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia in Group J, while Morocco were grouped with Gabon, Niger and Lesotho.
The qualifying matches will be played during three FIFA international windows. The first two rounds are scheduled for September 21 to October 6, 2026, while Matchdays Three and Four will hold from November 9 to 17, 2026.
The final round of qualifiers is expected to take place between March 22 and 30, 2027, when the full list of teams for the tournament will be confirmed.
