AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Super Eagles Discover Group Stage Opponents
- The Super Eagles of Nigeria have discovered their opponents for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers
- CAF held the draw in Cairo on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, for the tournament in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda
- Nigeria reached the final in the Cote d'Ivoire 2023 edition and won bronze at the Morocco 2025 edition
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have discovered their group stage opponents for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations after CAF held the draw in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
AFCON 2027 will be the first to be hosted across three countries as Eastern African neighbours Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are set for centre stage.
Source: Getty Images
The Super Eagles, who have finished in the top three in the past two editions, will hope to seal qualification and target their first trophy since 2013.
Nigeria’s AFCON 2027 qualifier opponents
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been drawn in Group L alongside Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau for the Pamoja 2027 AFCON.
Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong selected the balls for the teams in pot 1 and picked Nigeria last to be drawn in the last group.
A few Nigerians who paid attention to the draw wanted Nigeria in the same group as one of Ghana or Libya, both of whom were in pot 2.
Nigerians would fancy a qualifier against their jollof rivals, Black Stars of Ghana, or the Mediterranean Knights of Libya, to rekindle their rivalry from the airport hostage saga in 2025.
As noted by CAF, the matches are scheduled to be played during the FIFA international windows of September, October and November 2026.
Matchdays 1 and 2: 21 September to 6 October 2026
Matchdays 3 and 4: 9 to 17 November 2026
Matchdays 5 and 6: 22 to 30 March 2027
The top two teams in each group will qualify for the Final Tournament.
Nigeria's opponents analysed
The Super Eagles are no stranger to any of their opponents in the qualifiers, having faced each of them at least four times in previous encounters.
As noted by Sofascore, Nigeria has faced Guinea Bissau four times, won three and lost one. Nigeria won 2-0 and 1-0 in the group stages of AFCON 2021 and 2023. Both sides met in AFCON 2023 qualifier, with each team winning 1-0 away.
The Super Eagles have faced Madagascar five times, won three, lost one and drew one. Their first encounter in 2000 ended in a draw, Nigeria won three consecutive games before losing their last match in 2019 2-0.
Source: Getty Images
As noted by Olympics, Nigeria has faced Tanzania eight times without a loss, including the most recent time at AFCON 2025 in Morocco, which they won 2-1. From the previous seven encounters, Nigeria won four and drew three against the Taifa Stars.
Nigeria set to host 2026 CAF Awards
Legit.ng previously reported that Nigeria will host the 2026 CAF Awards after President Tinubu and Dr Patrice Motsepe met in Nairobi.
The award ceremony returns to Nigeria for the first time in 10 years as fans call on the three-time African champions to push to host AFCON.
Source: Legit.ng
