RismadarVoice Reporters, May 19, 2026
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been placed in Group L alongside Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania following the draw for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers held on Tuesday in Cairo, Egypt.
The draw sets up a challenging qualifying campaign for the three-time African champions, who will once again come up against familiar opponents from previous continental competitions.
Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau have shared recent encounters in AFCON tournaments, having faced each other in the group stage of the 2021 edition and later crossing paths again during the qualification and group stages of the 2023 tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.
The Super Eagles also met Tanzania in the opening fixture of the 2025 AFCON, where Nigeria secured a 2-1 victory. Madagascar, however, remain a notable opponent after recording a 2-0 win over Nigeria during the group phase of the 2019 AFCON.
Under the qualification structure for the 2027 tournament, Tanzania are guaranteed a place at the finals as one of the co-host nations alongside Kenya and Uganda, regardless of their position in the group standings. This means only one additional team from Group L will qualify automatically for the tournament.
The qualification series features 12 groups, with the top two teams from each group earning spots in the 24-nation competition scheduled to take place between June 19 and July 17, 2027.
The qualifying fixtures are expected to begin between September 21 and October 6, 2026. Matchdays three and four will take place from November 9 to 17, 2026, while the final round of games is scheduled for March 22 to 30, 2027.
Nigeria, one of the continent’s most successful football nations, will aim to secure another AFCON appearance as they continue their pursuit of a fourth continental title, having last lifted the trophy in 2013.
