NIGERIA BEGINS 2027 AFCON JOURNEY AGAINST FAMILIAR FOES.

Nigeria has been drawn in Group L of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers
alongside Madagascar, Tanzania, and Guinea-Bissau as they begin their push for a
place at the expanded tournament.

The draw, conducted at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association on
Tuesday saw former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong take part as one of
the draw assistants, with 48 teams split into 12 groups.

Nigeria, seeded in Pot 1, will face opponents they know well from previous
qualification campaigns, setting up a familiar but tricky path to the finals in Kenya,
Tanzania and Uganda.

The Super Eagles beat Madagascar home and away in the 2012 AFCON qualifiers,
while Guinea-Bissau has proven a more competitive hurdle in recent years, with
both sides sharing wins during the 2023 qualification cycle.

Tanzania also brings recent history into the group, having met Nigeria in 2017
qualifiers where the Super Eagles won 1-0 in Uyo after a goalless draw in Dar es
Salaam. Both sides also crossed paths at AFCON 2025 in Morocco, where Nigeria
claimed a 2-1 group-stage victory.

However, Tanzania’s automatic qualification as co-hosts means only the group
winner will advance from Group L, raising the stakes significantly for the Super
Eagles.

Elsewhere in the draw, defending champions Ivory Coast were placed in Group C
alongside Ghana, Gambia, and Somalia, while Senegal will face Mozambique, Sudan
and Ethiopia in Group J. Morocco, which hosts the 2025 edition, was drawn with
Gabon, Niger, and Lesotho.

The qualifiers will be played across three international windows, beginning in
September 2026 and concluding in March 2027, when the full list of teams for the
tournament will be confirmed.