AFCON Qualifiers: Nigeria Face Madagascar, Tanzania, G’Bissau
Nigeria have been drawn against familiar foes in Group L of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where they will face Madagascar, co-hosts Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau for a place at the tournament.
The draw was conducted at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association on Tuesday, with former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong serving as one of the draw assistants.
A total of 48 teams will participate in the qualifiers, with the draw producing 12 groups and 24 teams qualifying for the finals.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will host the tournament from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
Nigeria were drawn from Pot 1 and handed opponents they have faced before in qualifying campaigns and recent competitions.
Nigeria defeated Madagascar home and away during the qualifying series for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations and also shared honours with Guinea-Bissau in the race to the 2023 AFCON finals held in Ivory Coast. Guinea-Bissau won in Abuja, while the Super Eagles claimed all three points in Bissau.
Tanzania were also in the same qualifying group as Nigeria during the race to the 2017 AFCON. Both teams played out a goalless draw in Dar es Salaam before Nigeria won 1-0 in Uyo through a long-range strike from Kelechi Iheanacho. However, the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the tournament in Gabon.
Both countries also met recently at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, with Nigeria winning 2-1 in their opening group match.
However, due to the presence of Tanzania — who have qualified automatically as co-hosts — in the group, only the top team in the group will qualify for the 2027 finals.
The same applies to other groups containing any of the co-hosts, while the top two teams from the remaining groups will qualify.
Among the notable groups, 2023 champions Ivory Coast were drawn alongside Ghana, Gambia and Somalia in Group C.
Winners of the 2025 edition, Senegal will face Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia in Group J, while 2025 AFCON hosts Morocco will take on Gabon, Niger and Lesotho.
The qualifying campaign will be played across three international windows. The opening two matchdays are scheduled for the FIFA window from September 21 to October 6, 2026, before Matchdays 3 and 4 take place from November 9 to 17, 2026.
The final two rounds of matches will be played from March 22 to 30, 2027, when the line-up for the tournament is expected to be completed.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
