Nigeria will face off against the host country in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023, which is set to take place in Cote d’Ivoire in January of next year, for the first time since Mali in 2002.
Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and the Super Eagles were placed in Group A alongside the hosts, Cote d’Ivoire.
The ballot that placed the two West African football teams in the same Group A was chosen by Senegal’s Sadio Mane, the current African Footballer of the Year. Interestingly, this will be the first time the two teams have faced each other since Nigeria defeated the highly skilled Ivorian team in the quarterfinals of the 2013 tournament that the Super Eagles won in South Africa.
The other two countries in the group have also faced Nigeria before, having participated in qualifying competitions for the most recent AFCON and World Cup. In an AFCON qualifier held in Abuja last March, Guinea-Bissau stunned Nigeria.
In 2002, Mali, the tournament hosts, partnered Nigeria with them. Super Eagles shared pairings with hosts Senegal in 1992, Algeria in 1990, and Ghana in 1978.
In the opening game of that edition in Dakar, Super Eagles defeated hosts Senegal 2-1 in 1992 thanks to goals from the late Stephen Keshi and Samson Siasia. Jules Bocandes, the late standout for the Teranga Lions, equalized Siasia’s goal before Keshi scored the winner, sending the home crowd into an early slumber.
When Cote d’Ivoire previously hosted this event, in 1984, the Eagles participated in the title game.
In the other groups, Senegal, the reigning champions, will dominate Group C with Cameroon, Guinea, and Gambia, while Egypt will play against Ghana, Cape Verde, and Mozambique.
Algeria will play Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Angola in Group D, while Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, and Namibia will compete in Group E for a chance to advance. Group F includes Tanzania, Zambia, Congo Democratic Republic, and Morocco.
The top two teams will advance to the following round automatically, and the top four losers will also advance.
The competition will take place the following year, from January 13 to February 11.
DRAW AFCON 2023
PARTY A
The Ivory Coast
Africa
Guinea E
Guinea-Conqueror
Team B
Egypt.
Ghana.
Verde Islands
The Mosque
TEAM C
Sentinal
Nigeria
Guyana
Granada
COLUMN D
Algiers
Equatorial Guinea
Mauropolitan
Portugal
COLUMN E
Algeria
Mala
South African
Nigeria
COLUMN F
Algeria
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Zimbabwe
Africa
