Nigeria to Learn AFCON 2027 Qualifying Opponents Tuesday

Nigeria’s senior men’s football team, the Super Eagles, will on Tuesday discover their opponents for the qualifying series of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, according to a report by PUNCH Sports Extra.

The Confederation of African Football, CAF, is expected to conduct the draw at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association in Cairo ahead of the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.

The report says the competition, tagged AFCON PAMOJA 2027, will be the first edition of the continental championship to be co-hosted by three countries. Nigeria, three-time African champions, won the title in 1980, 1994 and 2013, while also finishing runners-up in 2023 and third-place in 2025.

According to CAF, forty-eight countries, including the three host nations, will participate in the qualifiers and will be divided into 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two teams in every group qualifying automatically for the tournament finals.

CAF, however, noted that because Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have already secured automatic qualification as hosts, only one additional team will qualify from each of their respective groups. The African football body added that the qualifying matches will be played across FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027.

In a statement cited by PUNCH, CAF described the tournament as more than just football for the East African co-hosts, saying the competition presents “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate infrastructure development, tourism and international investment while showcasing East Africa’s culture and passion for the game on the continental stage.”