The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been drawn against Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau, and Tanzania in Group L of the qualification series for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The draw ceremony took place on Tuesday in Cairo.
Nigeria will once again face familiar opponents, having met Guinea-Bissau repeatedly in recent CAF competitions. Both sides clashed in the group stage of the 2021 AFCON, the qualifiers for the 2023 edition, and the group phase of the tournament in Cote d’Ivoire. The Eagles also faced Tanzania in their opening group game at the 2025 AFCON, securing a 2-1 victory, while Madagascar famously stunned Nigeria 2-0 during the group stage of the 2019 AFCON.
Qualification Format and Schedule
The 2027 AFCON will be jointly hosted by Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. As co-hosts, Tanzania will qualify automatically from Group L regardless of their final position, leaving only one qualification slot available for the remaining teams in the group. The qualifiers feature 12 groups, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the 24-team tournament scheduled to hold from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
The opening two rounds of qualifiers will be played between September 21 and October 6, 2026. Matchdays three and four are slated for November 9 to 17, 2026, while the final qualifying fixtures will take place from March 22 to 30, 2027.
Nigeria's Recent Performance
Nigeria finished third at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco. The Super Eagles are three-time African champions, with their last title triumph coming in 2013.
