Nigeria’s senior national team, the Super Eagles, will on Tuesday discover their opponents for the qualifiers of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations as the Confederation of African Football conducts the official draw in Cairo, Egypt.
The draw ceremony will take place at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association ahead of the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
The competition, tagged AFCON PAMOJA 2027, will make history as the first Africa Cup of Nations to be co-hosted by three countries.
Nigeria heads into the qualifiers as one of Africa’s most successful football nations, having won the tournament three times — in 1980, 1994 and 2013. The Super Eagles also finished as runners-up in the 2023 edition and secured third place in 2025.
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A total of 48 countries, including the three host nations, will participate in the qualification series.
CAF confirmed that the teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams in each group qualifying automatically for the tournament.
However, because Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have already qualified as hosts, only one additional team will qualify from each of their respective groups.
The qualification matches will be played during three FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027.
According to CAF, the opening rounds of matches will hold between September 21 and October 6, 2026, while matchdays three and four are scheduled for November 9 to 17, 2026. The final round of qualification fixtures will take place from March 22 to 30, 2027.
CAF noted that the tournament is expected to go beyond football, with the East African host nations aiming to use the event to boost infrastructure, tourism and investment, while also showcasing the region’s culture and passion for the sport.
