The Super Eagles of Nigeria have another chance to avenge their recent 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying defeat to the Cheetahs of Benin Republic. Both teams are in the same group for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, starting in two months.
The reverse fixture for their World Cup qualifier isn’t until October 2025, but they will face each other sooner in their quest to be among the 24 teams in the 35th Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
At the draw ceremony held on Thursday afternoon at the SuperSport studio in Johannesburg, South Africa, Nigeria also drew Rwanda, another team in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying group, whom they will play in March 2025. The group also includes the Mediterranean Knights of Libya. All four teams are in Group D.
The six-match qualifying series will be held in September, October, and November, with two matches in each seven-day window.
Here are the groups for the 2025 AFCON qualifiers:
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
