The 2025 AFCON qualifying draw was conducted last week and we take a look at who the Super Eagles will face as they look to qualify for the tournament.
The Super Eagles stumbled at the final hurdle in the most recent AFCON, where they lost 2-1 to hosts Ivory Coast – they will hoping to go one better next year.
Group D:
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- Benin
- Libya
Similar task to World Cup qualifiers
Nigeria will match up against Benin and Rwanda in both the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and in the AFCON qualifiers, so it will be a real mental battle heading into these fixtures.
The Super Eagles have had a tough start to the World Cup qualifiers, as they sit four points behind both Benin and Rwanda who sit top of their respective group.
However, Nigeria have good form in AFCON qualifiers, as they have qualified for every tournament since their absence in 2015 and 2017.
Bogey team Benin
The Super Eagles faithful might have wanted to avoid Benin in the AFCON qualifiers, as their opponents will certainly have a psychological edge due to the 2-1 victory recently in the World Cup qualifier fixture.
However, Nigeria now have a greater knowledge of their opponents and will understand the mental boost that they will have if they manage to beat Benin in the next match against them.
With the quality that the Super Eagles have, mixed with a new manager who hopefully hit the ground running, it would be expected that history doesn’t repeat itself when the two nations lock horns in the AFCON qualifiers.
Tough task against Libya
Along with Benin and Rwanda, Libya have shown in the recent World Cup qualifiers that they should not be underestimated, as they currently sit second in their group.
Despite being ranked 118th in the world rankings, they are just one point behind Cameroon in their World Cup qualifying group and their recent performances suggest they are more than capable of an upset.
The Super Eagles matched up against Libya in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, and they came out on top after they beat them 4-0 and then 3-2 in the return leg.
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