Nigeria Drawn with Familiar Foes as Africa Cup of Nations 2027 Qualifiers Take Shape

Nigeria will face old rivals and co-hosts Tanzania, Madagascar, and Guinea-Bissau in the race to qualify for next summer’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The Super Eagles, Madagascar, Tanzania, and Guinea-Bissau make up Group L.

The draw, held Tuesday at the Egyptian Football Association headquarters in Cairo, placed 48 teams into 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group will secure a spot in the AFCON finals, scheduled from 19 June to 17 July next year.

Nigeria has a history with these opponents. The Super Eagles defeated Madagascar both home and away during the 2012 AFCON qualifiers and shared results with Guinea-Bissau in the 2023 qualifiers. In that campaign, Guinea-Bissau won in Abuja, while Nigeria triumphed in Bissau.

Tanzania and Nigeria last met in the 2017 AFCON qualifiers, where they played a goalless draw in Dar es Salaam before Nigeria clinched a 1-0 victory in Uyo courtesy of a long-range strike from Kelechi Iheanacho.

Elsewhere in the qualifiers, Morocco’s Atlas Lions, who hosted the 2025-2026 AFCON finals, will face Gabon, Niger, and Lesotho in Group A. Seven-time champions Egypt have been drawn with Angola, Malawi, and South Sudan in Group B. Cameroon, five-time winners, face a challenging pool containing Comoros, Namibia, and Congo.

AFCON 2027 Qualifying Groups:

A: Morocco, Gabon, Niger, Lesotho

B: Egypt, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan

C: Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, The Gambia, Somalia

D: South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, Eritrea

E: DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe

F: Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Central African Republic

G: Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo

H: Tunisia, Uganda, Libya, Botswana

I: Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi

J: Senegal, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia

K: Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia

L: Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau

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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