Nigeria’s Super Eagles will on Tuesday discover their opponents for the qualification campaign to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) conducts the official draw in Cairo, Egypt.
The draw marks the beginning of the road to what is already being described as one of the most historic editions of Africa’s biggest football competition.
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For the first time in AFCON history, the tournament will be jointly hosted by three countries — Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda — under the banner of “PAMOJA”, a Swahili word meaning “together”.
The tournament is scheduled to be held from 19 June to 17 July 2027 and will return AFCON to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted the competition in 1976.
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Nigeria enters the draw among the continent’s top-ranked nations after being placed in Pot 1 alongside Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Cameroon, DR Congo, Mali, South Africa and Burkina Faso.
With the seeding structure, the Super Eagles are guaranteed to avoid those heavyweight sides in the group stage but could still face tricky encounters against dangerous opponents from Pots 2, 3 and 4.
Format
CAF will divide the 48 participating nations into 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams from every group will qualify automatically for the finals. However, because Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda have already qualified as co-hosts, only one additional nation will qualify from each of their respective groups.
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The draw ceremony will take place at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association and will be broadcast live on CAF TV from 3 p.m. local time (12 p.m. GMT).
The qualification campaign will be played across three FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027.
For Nigeria, the draw represents the first major step in a campaign expected to carry enormous pressure and expectation following the Super Eagles’ resurgence on the continental stage in recent years.
Nigeria remains one of Africa’s most successful football nations and will again be viewed as a favourite to qualify comfortably for the finals.
Ekong joins legends
Interestingly, former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong will also play a symbolic role during Tuesday’s ceremony in Cairo.
The Nigerian defender, who was named Player of the Tournament at the 2023 AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire, has been selected by CAF alongside African football legends Max-Alain Gradel, Essam El Hadary and Trésor Mputu to assist with the draw proceedings.
READ ALSO: CAF slams Algeria with $100,000 fine after explosive AFCON clash with Nigeria
CAF described Troost-Ekong as one of Nigeria’s defining defenders of the modern era, praising his leadership, consistency and performances at major tournaments.
Beyond qualification itself, AFCON 2027 is expected to represent a major commercial and cultural milestone for African football.
CAF believes the tournament could reach more than 400 million people across East Africa, while the three host nations are also expected to benefit from major infrastructure, tourism and investment opportunities linked to the competition.
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