Super Eagles Set to Learn Opponents in 2027 AFCON Qualifying Draw

The Confederation of African Football will on Tuesday conduct the qualifying draw for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, with the Nigeria national football team set to discover their group-stage opponents.

The draw ceremony will take place in Cairo, Egypt, officially launching the qualification campaign for Africa’s biggest football tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

In a statement released on its official website, CAF confirmed that 48 countries will participate in the qualifiers and will be divided into 12 groups of four teams each.

“The draw officially launches the next phase of the journey towards a tournament CAF hopes will unite an entire region under the spirit of ‘PAMOJA’ — the Swahili word for ‘together’,” the governing body stated.

Officially branded “AFCON PAMOJA 2027,” the competition will make history as the first Africa Cup of Nations to be co-hosted by three countries.

The tournament is scheduled to run from June 19 to July 17, 2027, and will also mark the return of the continental showpiece to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted the competition in 1976.

CAF explained that the top two teams from each qualifying group will automatically secure qualification for the finals. However, because the three host nations have already qualified automatically, only one additional team will advance from each of their respective groups.

The qualification campaign will be played across three FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027.

Matchdays one and two are scheduled between September 21 and October 6, 2026, while rounds three and four will be played from November 9 to 17, 2026. The final set of qualification fixtures will take place from March 22 to 30, 2027.

African heavyweights including the Senegal national football team, Morocco national football team, Egypt national football team, Algeria national football team, Cameroon national football team, Ivory Coast national football team and South Africa national football team are all expected to battle strongly for qualification alongside Nigeria.

CAF also highlighted the increasing competitiveness of African football, pointing to the rapid rise of emerging nations such as Comoros national football team and Gambia national football team in recent qualifying campaigns.

Beyond football, the continental body noted that the 2027 tournament is expected to stimulate infrastructure development, tourism growth and regional cooperation across East Africa while showcasing the culture and sporting passion of the host nations.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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