Super Eagles to know 2027 AFCON qualifying opponents Tuesday

Nigeria’s Super Eagles will on Tuesday know their opponents for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when the Confederation of African Football conducts the draw in Cairo, Egypt.

The draw 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.

The 2027 edition, tagged AFCON PAMOJA 2027, will run from June 19 to July 17, 2027, and will be the first time the competition will be hosted by three countries.

Nigeria, three-time African champions, won the tournament in 1980, 1994 and 2013. The Super Eagles also finished as runners-up at the 2023 edition and placed third in 2025.

CAF said 48 countries, including the three co-hosts, will take part in the qualifying series.

The teams will be drawn into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams from each group qualifying automatically for the finals.

However, since Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have already qualified as hosts, only one additional team will qualify from any group containing any of the co-hosts.

The qualifiers will be played across three FIFA international windows between September 2026 and March 2027.

Matchdays one and two are scheduled for September 21 to October 6, 2026, while matchdays three and four will be played from November 9 to 17, 2026.

The final round of qualification matches will take place from March 22 to 30, 2027.

CAF said the tournament represents a major opportunity for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to boost infrastructure, tourism and investment, while showcasing East Africa’s passion for football to the rest of the continent.