Three-time African champions, Nigeria, has been seeded in Group 1 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations draws slated for Monday, January 27 in Morocco, reports The Standard Gazette.
The 35th edition of the AFCON will hold between 21 December and 18 January 2026 with finalists at the last edition in Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria one of the favourites for the title in Morocco.
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The draw Ceremony will take place at the Mohamed V National Theatre in Rabat, Casablanca on Monday evening.
Nigeria has been placed in Pot 1 alongside seven-time winners Egypt, three-time champions and Cup holders Cote d’Ivoire, two-time winners Algeria, hosts and 1976 champions Morocco and 2021 winners Senegal.
The Communications department of the Nigeria Football Federation revealed on Friday that new Super Eagles’ Head Coach Éric Sékou Chelle and Team Administrator, Dayo Enebi Achor, alongside the Chairman of NFF Technical and Development Committee, Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa will attend the colourful ceremony in the heart of Morocco’s administrative capital.
The tournament is unique in some ways, including being the first ever to start in a particular year and run into another year.
The date is necessitated by the inaugural edition of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup which will hold June 15 and July 13.
Morocco will play host to Africa again since hosting the 1988 tournament that was won by Cameroon.
The North African country was handed the hosting right for the 2015 finals but ducked at the eleventh hour amid the ebola scare across some nations in the continent.
Since then, the country has hosted a plethora of football championships, including the African Nations Championship in 2018 (which she won), the Women Africa Cup of Nations in 2022 (in which she finished as runner-up) and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2023. Morocco will also co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup finals alongside neighbours Spain and Portugal.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles hold the record for the most medals from the 68-year-old championship: 16 in 20 previous participations.
They are three-time winners (1980, 1994, 2013), finished as runners-up on five occasions (1984, 1988, 1990, 2000 and 2023), and took the bronze eight times (1976, 1978, 1992, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2019).
The Eagles lost out in the quarter-finals in 2008 and were eliminated in the second round in 2021.
Only in their debut in 1963, and as Cup holders in 1982, have the Eagles failed to proceed beyond the tournament group phase.
While Nigeria will be taking part in her 21st tournament (same as DR Congo and Algeria), Botswana and Comoros will be taking part in only their second respective championships. Egypt will be appearing in their 27th tournament; Cote d’Ivoire 26th and; Cameroon and Tunisia 22nd.
Hosts Morocco are appearing in their 20th finals and 2012 champions Zambia in their 19th.
The 2021 winners Senegal are appearing in their 18th final tournament.
Nigeria have also played a total of 104 matches at the final tournament, 4th overall behind Egypt (111), Cote d’Ivoire (106) and Ghana (105).
While Cameroonian Rigobert Song (who coached the Indomitable Lions at the last finals in Cote d’Ivoire), Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan, Ghanaian Andrew Ayew and Tunisian Youssef Msakni have played in eight tournaments each, Ayew and Song have played the most matches – 36 each.
Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o (currently President of FECAFOOT) has scored the most goals in the final tournament – 18 in the 29 matches he played across eight tournaments.
Nigeria’s Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) scored 13 goals across four final tournaments between 1988 and 1994.
Pot 1: Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire
Pot 2: Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, South Africa, DR Congo, Burkina Faso
Pot 3: Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Benin Republic
Pot 4: Mozambique, Comoros, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Botswana
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