Nigeria have been drawn alongside Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, and Madagascar in the qualification campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), setting up a familiar but competitive path for the Super Eagles.
The draw, conducted on Tuesday in Cairo, Egypt, placed Nigeria in Group L of the qualifying series for Africa’s premier football tournament.
The opponents are not unfamiliar to Nigeria, with all three having featured in recent encounters with the Super Eagles across AFCON tournaments and qualification campaigns.
At the 2021 AFCON, Nigeria met Guinea-Bissau in the group stage, while both sides also clashed during the 2023 AFCON qualifiers and again at the tournament finals in Côte d’Ivoire.
The Super Eagles also faced Tanzania at the 2025 AFCON, where Nigeria secured a 2-1 victory, while Madagascar were beaten 2-0 by Nigeria during the 2019 AFCON group stage.
Nigeria finished third at the most recent AFCON edition and were runners-up in the 2023 tournament, continuing their strong continental pedigree.
Across the qualification series, 12 groups were drawn for the tournament, which will be hosted by Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.
Elsewhere, Ghana were drawn in a tough Group C alongside defending champions Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, and Somalia, setting up a high-profile West African rivalry.
Ghana and Ivory Coast’s meeting is particularly notable, given both teams were seeded based on their current FIFA rankings.
Several African teams already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will also feature in the AFCON qualifiers, including Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana.
Cape Verde, one of the surprise qualifiers for the World Cup after edging out Cameroon, were drawn in Group K with Mali, Rwanda, and Liberia.
South Africa will compete in Group D with Guinea, hosts Kenya, and Eritrea, although Kenya’s automatic qualification leaves the remaining teams battling for a single slot.
Morocco headline Group A alongside Gabon, Niger, and Lesotho, while Senegal will face Mozambique, Sudan, and Ethiopia in Group J.
Tensions also linger around the previous AFCON final, where Morocco initially lost to Senegal in controversial circumstances before an appeal process changed the outcome, a case still awaiting a final ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
CAF president Patrice Motsepe has, however, dismissed speculation that the 2027 AFCON could be moved or delayed, insisting preparations are on track across the East African co-hosts.
“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 said.
Meanwhile, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe have submitted a joint bid to host the 2028 AFCON, which could become the first edition staged across four countries if approved.
From 2028, the AFCON is expected to shift from a biennial format to a four-year cycle to align with the global football calendar.
AFCON 2027 QUALIFICATION GROUPS