Nigeria’s Nigeria national football team, popularly known as the Super Eagles, have been drawn against Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau in Group L of the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The draw ceremony was held on Tuesday in Cairo, officially launching the qualification race for the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027 tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Although Tanzania are among the co-hosts and have already secured automatic qualification for the finals, they will still participate in the qualification series, leaving only one additional qualification slot available from Group L.
For Nigeria, the draw presents a favourable but potentially challenging route as the three-time African champions continue their quest to reclaim continental glory following their third-place finish at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
The Super Eagles, now managed by Eric Chelle, were placed among the top-seeded teams in Pot 1 alongside football powerhouses such as Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Egypt and defending champions Côte d’Ivoire.
Despite Nigeria’s status as favourites on paper, observers believe the group could still pose difficult tests. Madagascar remain one of Africa’s rising football nations after reaching the quarter-finals during their debut AFCON appearance in 2019, while Guinea-Bissau have become regular participants at recent editions of the tournament.
Tanzania are also expected to provide strong competition, boosted by home support and increased investment in football ahead of co-hosting the championship.
The qualifiers are scheduled to be played during FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027. Matchdays one and two are expected to take place in September and October 2026, with the remaining fixtures set for November 2026 and March 2027.
Nigeria will be aiming to avoid the inconsistencies that affected parts of their recent World Cup qualification campaign and build momentum under Chelle ahead of the continental tournament.
The draw ceremony featured several African football legends, including former Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong, who participated in the draw alongside former stars Essam El Hadary, Max-Alain Gradel and Trésor Mputu.
The 2027 AFCON finals are scheduled to hold from June 19 to July 17 across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, marking the first time three countries will jointly host the tournament.
