The draw for the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), to be hosted by Morocco, has placed the Super Eagles of Nigeria in Group C.
The former champions have another ex-champions (Tunisia) in that group with Uganda and Tanzania competing the quartet.
The Super Eagles’ opening fixture will be against Tanzania.
This will be the second time Morocco will be staging the competition after that of 1988, won by Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions, which beat Nigeria by a lone goal in the final. Emmanuel Kunde’s 55th penalty settled the matter in the match played at Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca.
As a result of FIFA expanding its Club World Cup competition to 32 teams and having it scheduled for June and July, this AFCON edition will be played between 21 December 2025 and 18 January 2026.
The situation has been further complicated by the addition of two extra match days scheduled for the last two weeks of January in the expanded UEFA Champions League that began this 2024/2025 season in Europe. That means the traditional window for AFCON from mid-January to mid-February (when the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League are due to start) is likely to cause even more disruption than usual.
The opening match on 21 December 2025 will pitch hosts Morocco against Comoros Islands.
The full draw:
Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros Islands
Group B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe
Group C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania
Group D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin Republic, Botswana
Group E: Algeria. Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan
Group F: Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique
