Nigeria has been listed to lock horns with Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, and Madagascar in the qualification series for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

This followed the 2027 AFCON draw held in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday, which saw the Super Eagles in Group L of the qualification race for the next continental showpiece.

Nigeria’s opponents are not new to the three-time AFCON winners, as they have faced them in recent years.

At the 2021 AFCON, the Super Eagles battled Guinea-Bissau in the group stages. Both nations were also opponents in the qualification race for the 2023 AFCON as well as the main competition in Côte d’Ivoire.

Nigeria and Tanzania faced off at the 2025 AFCON, but the three-time African champions beat them 2-1.

In the 2019 AFCON, the Super Eagles were 2-0 winners over Madagascar. That was in a group stage outing. Nigeria finished third at the last AFCON and were runners-up in 2023.

There are a total of 12 groups for the qualification race for the tournament set to be hosted by Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.

Ghana were drawn in the same group as Côte d’Ivoire. Gambia and Somalia complete Group C, and the winners and runners-up after six matchdays between September and March qualify for the tournament.

The clash of four-time winners Ghana and three-time champions Ivory Coast resulted from Ghana being among the second seeds. Seeding was based on the current world rankings.

Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Cape Verde are among 10 African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off next month in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Cape Verde, whose World Cup qualification at the expense of Cameroon was the biggest shock among the nine African groups, are in Group K of the AFCON with Mali, Rwanda, and Liberia.

South Africa are in Group D with Guinea, co-hosts Kenya, and Eritrea. With the Kenyans qualifying automatically, the other three teams will fight for one ticket to East Africa.

African Republic

Group G

Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia, Congo Brazzaville

Group H

Tunisia, Uganda (co-host), Libya, Botswana

Group I

Algeria, Zambia, Togo, Burundi

Group J

Senegal, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia

Group K

Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Liberia

Group L

Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania (co-host), Guinea-Bissau

Note: Winners and runners-up qualify from nine groups, not including a co-host. In three groups, including a co-host, only one other team qualifies

Matchdays

1, 2: September 21-Oct 6

3, 4: November 9-17

5, 6: March 22-30 2027