AFCON 2021 Qualifiers: CAF names Nigeria’s opponents

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been drawn in Group L along with Benin, Sierra Leone, and Lesotho in the 2021 African Cup of Nations, AFCON, qualifiers.

The draws were conducted on Thursday barely 24 hours to the final match of the 2019 edition being staged in Egypt.

In all, 48 countries will be jostling for the 24 available slots in AFCON 2021 which is being planned to take place in Cameroon.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles made a return to AFCON this year after missing out on the 2015 and 2017 edition, and would be keen not to allow another miss in 2021.

Benin had a historic outing in AFCON 2019 where they made it to the quarter-final for the first time.

The Squirrels will be looking to keep that momentum with another qualification for the 33rd edition of AFCON.

There are 12 groups consisting of four teams each. The top two sides from each group will qualify for the showpiece that will be held in Cameroon, who were initially supposed to host the 2019 edition.

Already, some groups are seen as tricky due to its composition.

One of such is Group J which houses Tunisia, Libya, Tanzania, and Equatorial Guinea.

The Super Eagles picked their eight bronze medal at the 2019 AFCON after a 1-0 win over Tunisia.

Full draw:

Group A: Mali, Guinea, Namibia, Liberia/Chad

Group B: Burkina Faso, Uganda, Malawi, South Sudan/Seychelles

Group C: Ghana, South Africa, Sudan, Mauritius/Sao Tome Principe

Group D: Congo DR, Gabon, Angola, Djibouti/Gambia,

Group E: Morocco, Central Africa, Burundi, Mauritania

Group F: , Cameroon, Mozambique, Rwanda, Cape Verde

Group G: Egypt, Kenya, Togo, Comoros Islands,

Group H: Algeria, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia,

Group I: Senegal, Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Eswatini

Group J: Tunisia, Libya, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea,

Group K: Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopa, Niger, Madagascar

Group L: Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Benin, Lesotho