The Super Eagles will discover their opponents in the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday, 19 May, Completesports.com reports.
48 teams including the three co-hosts, Kenya, Tanzania , and Uganda will participate in the qualifiers.
The qualifiers will be played across three FIFA international windows in September, October, and November.
The 48 teams will be drawn into 12 groups of four teams each.
The top two teams in each group will qualify for the final tournament.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles finished third at the AFCON 2025 finals in Morocco.
The Opening Match will be played on Saturday, 19 June 2027 and the Final on Saturday, 17 July 2027.
CAF announced that the competition will run from Saturday, 19 June to Saturday, 17 July, 2027.
By Adeboye Amosu
1 Comment
One last hurrah for majority of this so-called golden generation of Eagles that will go down in Nigeria football folklore as the only group of players who didn’t qualify for the world cup in the 2020s decade.
Okocha 2006 failure was “cancelled” by the 2002 appearance so we “salvaged” the 2000s.
But 2020-2029 (two chances not taken in 2022 and 2026) deserves “outright extinction and rejection” of ALL THE players who appeared IN BOTH QUALIFYING SERIES.
This nations cup should be their last dance (that is one final year).
“CAF announced that the competition will run from Saturday, 19 June to Saturday, 17 July, 2027”
They better appear in the final on 17 July 2027 and pick the “elusive” gold after silver in 2024 and bronze in 2026.
But, I can’t trust them to dream for 2030 world cup. For 2 reasons:
1) In their “prime”, they faltered on 2 occasions. It is not possible to do so when older. Ask SA who last appeared in 2002 before 2026. It is easy to sustain “failure” with “failure tools” who feel they can’t even be replaced.
2) The more important point. Every team who represented africa in Qatar 2022 world cup made it to the now expanded 48 teams Americas world cup 2026. 5 others have just tasted gold and $12m FIFA preparation money and have left new “legacies” for the coming generations to keep up the pace.
Obviously they are not NFF that would have diverted the 12m (FIFA increased it from 9m) funds for preparations and so fresh structure would have been laid after the world cup to not miss out “ever again”.
If Nigeria missed 48 teams showpiece (as we are currently doing with the golden eaglets (twice now) for every year world cup oh) in 2026, it will be easier to do so again in 2030 because we will be paired again with at least one team that will visit America next month.
Our name now fears nobody on the continent ESPECIALLY WHEN HOME BASED PLAYERS OF SOUTH AFRICA HUMILIATED THE “STAR STUDDED” Eagles OVER 10 MATCHES en route 2026 world cup.
I forbid those players have another run at it again.
They will do NOTHING NEW.
Bow out with Pamoja 2027 nations cup, Ndidi and co.
Hopefully, by winning gold.
Twice unsuccessful, I can’t count you’d be third time lucky because you will not