The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been drawn in Group D alongside Benin Republic who defeated the Eagles 2-1 on matchday 4 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
The draw for the Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025, qualifiers was held in Johannesburg on Thursday.
48 African countries will be aiming to qualify for the 35th edition of the biennial Africa showpiece in an attempt to dethrone coach Emerse Fae’s Cote d’Ivoire as continental kings.
Fae – one of the two draw assistants together with Morocco legend Marouane Chamakh – saw his side placed in a tricky group as they bid to defend their title.
Cote d’Ivoire are defending champions after defeating Nigeria 2-1 in the final of the continent’s flagship sports competition in Abidjan earlier this year.
The Elephants were placed in Group G where they will play former champions Zambia, Sierra Leone and Chad.
Hosts Morocco were placed in Group B.
The Atlas Lions will take on Gabon, Central African Republic and Lesotho.
Morocco will approach this qualifying campaign with less pressure since they are already assured of participating in the competition on home ground.
The much-coveted trophy will be put back into play with the start of the qualifiers for the next AFCON which will take place in the North African country.
The qualifiers will start in September 2024 and end in November 2024.
The first and runners-up in the eleven (11) groups that do not involve tournament hosts Morocco, will gain qualification to the competition.
The next Africa Cup of Nations will be held from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.
Groups:
Group A: Tunisia, Madagascar, Comoros, Gambia
Group B: Morocco, Gabon,Central Africa Republic, Lesotho
Group C: Egypt, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Botswana
Group D: Nigeria, Benin Libya, Rwanda
Group E: Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Liberia
Group F: Ghana, Angola, Sudan, Niger
Group G: Cote d’Ivoire, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Chad
Group H: DR Congo, Guinea, Tanzania, Ethiopia
Group I: Mali, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Eswatini
Group J: Cameroon, Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe
Group K: South Africa, Uganda, Congo, South Sudan
Group L: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Burundi