The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been drawn into Group D for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers alongside Benin Republic, Rwanda, and Libya.
The draw conducted in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday, provides an early opportunity for the three time African champions to avenge their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying defeat to the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in Abidjan last month.
While their 2026 World Cup qualifying rematch is not until the final day of the qualification series (October 6-14, 2025), Nigeria and the Benin Republic will face off earlier as they compete for one of the 24 spots in the 2024 AFCON, scheduled to take place in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
The draw included 48 countries divided into 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two teams from eleven groups qualifying directly for the finals.
The preliminaries will be played between September and November this year meaning the teams who are in form for those three months will have the best chance of reaching Morocco 2025.
See the Qualifying Groups For AFCON 2025
GROUP A: Tunisia, Madagascar, Comoros, The Gambia
GROUP B: Morocco, Gabon, Central African Republic, Lesotho
GROUP C: Egypt, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Botswana
GROUP D: Nigeria, Benin Republic, Libya, Rwanda
GROUP E: Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Liberia
GROUP F: Ghana, Angola, Sudan, Niger Republic
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
