BY EZEOCHA NZEH
Nigeria National team the Super Eagles may have an opportunity to revenge their recent loss to the Squirrels of Benin Republic at the 2026 world cup Africa qualifying may h as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has again drawn the teams together in Group D for the qualification series of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The AFCON draw which was conducted in South Africa on Thursday, also has Rwanda which is also paired with Nigeria in the world cup qualifying group
as well as Libya
Recall that the Eagles just suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat in the hands of Squirrels of Benin Republic, which h been tutored by former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr l in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Cote d’Ivoire, the defending champions, are pitted against Sierra Leone, Chad and Zambia in Group G, while Senegal are in Group L with Burkina Faso, Malawi and Burundi.
The two best teams in each group are the only ones guaranteed a slot at the 35th AFCON, which will be held in Morroco next year.
The completion will be played between December 21, 2025, and January 18, 2026.
Morocco, the hosts, are guaranteed a place in the tournament.
Full list of group pairings for the 2025 AFCON qualifiers:
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.