Nigeria will begin their campaign to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations against Madagascar on Friday, as the race for places at the continental tournament gets underway.
The Super Eagles will host Madagascar before travelling to Guinea-Bissau on 29th September for their second Group L fixture.
The qualifiers began on Thursday, 24th September, and will run through March 2027, with 48 national teams competing across 12 groups for places at the finals.
Nigeria’s group also includes Tanzania, one of the three countries that will jointly host the tournament alongside Kenya and Uganda.
The hosts have automatically qualified for the finals.
However, they will still take part in the qualifying campaign, with only the highest-ranked team outside Tanzania advancing from Group L.
This means Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau face a three-way contest for the group’s remaining qualifying place.
The 2027 tournament, known as AFCON PAMOJA 2027, will be the first edition of the Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by three countries.
It will also mark AFCON’s return to East Africa for the first time in more than five decades.
The competition is scheduled to take place from 19th June to 17th July, 2027.
However, the finals will not feature an increase in the number of teams.
The 24-team format introduced for the 2019 edition will continue, with the qualifying campaign determining the teams that join the three hosts.
Nigeria will be seeking to secure their place in the tournament by navigating a group in which every result could prove important, particularly because only one non-host nation can advance.
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