Nigeria, three-time African champions, were given a difficult group stage draw for the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco.
They will play in Group C against Tunisia and two co-hosts of the 2027 edition, Uganda and Tanzania. The tournament will take place from December 21 to January 18, 2026.
Nigeria is the most successful team in the group, having won the tournament three times and making their 21st appearance in Morocco. Uganda will play in their eighth tournament, while Tanzania has only played three times.
The most familiar of the opponents, Tunisia, eliminated Nigeria in the round of 16 in the 2021 tournament in Cameroon. In their 21 appearances at the continental showcase at home, Tunisia has only won the championship once, in 2024.
With 16 medals in 20 editions, including three crowns (1980, 1994, 2013), five runner-up finishes (1984, 1988, 1990, 2000, and 2023), and eight bronze medals, Nigeria enters the 2025 tournament as the competition’s record medal holders.
Ivory Coast, the hosts, defeated the Super Eagles 2-1 in the 2023 final.
The hosts Morocco will face Comoros, Zambia, and Mali in Group A. Egypt, the seven-time champion, South Africa, Angola, and Zimbabwe are all in Group B.
Group E is made up of Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, and Sudan, whereas Group D consists of Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, and Botswana. Group F consists of Gabon, Mozambique, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast, the reigning champions.
In the meantime, CAF and the Moroccan Football Federation have revealed nine venues and six cities that will host competition games.
These include Tangier, Fes, Marrakech, Agadir, Rabat, and Casablanca. Four stadiums may be found in the capital, Rabat: Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah (69,500), Stade Al Barid (18,000), Stade Olympique Annexe Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah (21,000), and Complexe Sportif Prince Héritier Moulay EL Hassan (22,000).
Other stadiums include the larger, 75,000-seat Grand Stade de Tanger, the 45,000-seat Complexe Sportif Mohammed V in Casablanca, the Grand Stade d’Agadir (41,144), the Grand Stade de Marrakech (41,245), and the Complexe Sportif de Fès (35,468).
