The draw for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will take place on Monday evening at the Mohamed V National Theatre in Rabat, Morocco, and the Super Eagles of Nigeria are in Pot 1, ensuring they avoid Africa’s biggest football powerhouses in the group stage.
Three-time AFCON champions Nigeria join seven-time winners Egypt, reigning champions Côte d’Ivoire, two-time winners Algeria, hosts Morocco, and 2021 champions Senegal in the top pot. These teams are seeded to ensure a balanced group draw, making the Super Eagles’ path to the knockout stages potentially smoother.
Nigeria’s Head Coach, Éric Sékou Chelle, Team Administrator Dayo Enebi Achor, and NFF Technical and Development Committee Chairman, Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa, will represent the team at the ceremony.
The AFCON 2025 tournament will be hosted by Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, marking the first time the competition spans two calendar years. Morocco, the host, last welcomed Africa’s premier football competition in 1988, which was won by Cameroon.
Since then, Morocco has established itself as a top football destination, hosting the 2018 African Nations Championship, where they emerged victorious, the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, and the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup. Morocco is also set to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
Nigeria remains one of the tournament’s most successful teams, with 16 medals in 20 appearances. The Super Eagles clinched the title in 1980, 1994, and 2013, finished as runners-up five times, and secured bronze on eight occasions.
Their most recent AFCON journey in 2023 ended in heartbreak, losing in the final, but the team will aim to go one step further this time. Nigeria has played 104 matches in AFCON history, ranking fourth overall behind Egypt (111), Côte d’Ivoire (106), and Ghana (105).
Draw Pots
- Pot 1: Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire
- Pot 2: Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, South Africa, DR Congo, Burkina Faso
- Pot 3: Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Benin Republic
- Pot 4: Mozambique, Comoros, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Botswana
