AFCON
EVALUATING SUPER EAGLES’ POTENTIAL OPPONENTS AHEAD OF AFCON DRAW
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Except the Super Eagles are pitched against Senegal or Tunisia in the Pot 1 of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations draw ceremony holding on Friday, the team will certainly face a former champion of the competition.
The seeds for the draw were released at the weekend and Nigeria is on the second tier of the seeding.
The seedings were based on performances of qualified teams at the 2013, 2015 and 2017 finals as well as the in the qualifying tournaments for 2015, 2017 and 2019 and the March 2019 FIFA rankings.
There are six teams in each pot. Nigeria along with Morocco, Nigeria, DR Congo, Algeria, Mali and Guinea belongs to the second pot. It means that these teams will not be in the same group for the final competition.
Nigeria, like the other teams, will draw one opponent from each of the remaining three pots. In Pot 1 are Egypt, Ghana, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Senegal.
The Super Eagles will certainly face one of those six teams. Only Tunisia is strange to the Super Eagles in previous groupings of the competition. Both Nigeria and Egypt were in the same groups in 1963, 1980, 1988, 1990, 1994 and 2010.
Sports Village Square recalls that in most cases that Nigeria fall into the same group with Egypt, the Nigeria side got to the semi-final or even won the trophy as it happened in 1980 and 1994.
It was only in 1963, the ancient past of the tournament that Nigeria failed to get beyond the group stage after drawing Egypt.
The www.sportsvillagesquare.com recalls that in all other instances, Nigeria got within the medal zone as it happened in 1988 and 1990 – runners-up positions and 2010 – second runners up.
In fact, when Egypt beat Nigeria 3-1 in Benguela at the
opening match of Group C of Angola 2010, it was the first time 48 years that
the Pharaohs had beaten Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Another possible opponent of Nigeria in Pot 1 is Ghana. Both are traditional rivals and had fallen in the same groups in 1978, 1984 and 2006. Sports Village Square recalls that Ghana has never beaten Nigeria in any group stage of the competition, even the one hosted by Ghana in 1978.
Tunisia is the only team in Pot 1 that Nigeria has never faced in an Africa Cup of Nations’ group stage. The three duels of both teams in the Africa Cup of Nations’ history were at the knockout stages.
Sports Village Square recalls that both met in the classification match of Ghana 1978. Tunisia walked out of the encounter after a goal by Baba Otu Mohammed, which put score lines at 1-1. The match was eventually awarded to Nigeria by a 2-0 score line.
They met again in the semi finals of Tunisia 2004 and quarter-finals of 2006. Both encounters were drawn. Tunisia excelled in the ensuing penalty shoot-out in 2004 while Nigeria came from two-penalty missed to win 6-5 at Egypt 2006.
Cote d’Ivoire was in the same group with Nigeria in 1980 and 2008 in Ghana. The 1980 encounter ended 0-0 while Cote d’Ivoire won 1-0 the encounter at Ghana 2008.
Cameroon fell in the same Group B with Nigeria at Maroc ’88. The game in which Nigeria scored their fastest goal at the Africa Cup of Nations ended 1-1. Both met again in the final match.
Senegal hosted the 1982 edition in which the Teranga Lions fell 1-2 to Nigeria in the opening match of Group A.
The Super Eagles will not draw any opposition from Pot 2 which also have Morocco, DR Congo, Algeria, Mali and Guinea.
Pot 3 has Uganda, South Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Zimbabwe, Angola and Burundi. The Super Eagles may be separated from South Africa as both emerged from the same qualifying group. The hard-playing Uganda may be a hard nut to crack. The only Africa Cup of Nations’ clash of both was in 1978 when a Philip Omondi-inspired Cranes of Uganda shocked Nigeria with a 2-1 defeat in the semi-finals.
Even then, encounters with Uganda have always been tough. The Cranes beat Nigeria 1-0 in a friendly match in 1981 and inflicted another 2-1 defeat in a 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying encounter in 2007.
Even though Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994, qualification was almost aborted for Nigeria as Uganda put up tough resistance in a return encounter played in Kampala on July 17, 1993.
Nigeria conceded a last minute penalty kick, which the Ugandans lost. Had that penalty been converted, the Super Eagles would not have qualified for the 1994 finals let alone winning the tournament.
In 2015, the Uganda spoiled the celebration for Vincent Enyeama, beating Nigeria 1-0 in a match that marked the 100th cap of the Nigerian goalkeeper. Last year, the Ugandans forced Nigeria to a goalless draw in Asaba.
Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Burundi in Pot 3 have never faced Nigeria in any group encounter of the Africa Cup of Nations. Burundi however in Abeokuta, lost 0-2 to the Super Eagles in the qualifying encounter for Afcon 2000, originally to hold in Zimbabwe. That was before Nigeria and Ghana were redesignated as joint hosts.
Angola was in the same qualifying groups with Nigeria in the qualification for 2004 and 2006. Nigeria’s only encounter with Guinea-Bissau was on October 2, 1960 in the Kwame Nkrumah Cup tournament. Guinea-Bissau at the time was called Portuguese Guinea. Nigeria won 4-1.
Zimbabwe, the other team in Pot 3, was in the same group with Nigeria in 2006. Nigeria won the match 2-0.
Pot 4 has Mauritania, Namibia, Benin, Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar. Two teams in the Pot are debutants and had therefore never been drawn in the same group with Nigeria.
These are Mauritania and Madagascar. Tanzania, Kenya and Benin had been in Nigeria’s group before. Kenya shared the same group with Nigeria in 1988 and 1992.
Tanzania opened their Group A account with Nigeria in 1980. Should Nigeria draw the same group with Tanzania, it will be the first time a Nigerian coach will have his team pitched against Nigeria in the 62-year history of the tournament.
Benin Republic was in the same groups with Nigeria in 2008 and 2010.
THE AFCON TEAMS’ SEEDING:
POT 1: Egypt, Ghana, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Senegal
POT 2: Morocco, Nigeria, DR Congo, Algeria, Mali and Guinea
POT 3: Uganda, South Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Zimbabwe, Angola and Burundi
POT 4: Mauritania, Namibia, Benin, Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar
AFCON
Nigerians, other nationals can apply, as CAF and Morocco Launch Volunteer Programme for AFCON 2025
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) in Morocco have launched the official Volunteer Programme for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025, billed to run from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.
According to CAF, more than 4,000 volunteers will be recruited to play a central role in ensuring the success of Africa’s most prestigious football tournament, which will be staged across six cities and nine stadiums in Morocco.
Applications are now open at volunteers.cafonline.com and will close on 8 October 2025. The opportunity is open to anyone above the age of 18.
Volunteers will be deployed across multiple functional areas, including media operations, spectator services, accreditation, hospitality, and fan engagement. Selected individuals will receive professional training ahead of the competition and work behind the scenes to deliver a memorable AFCON.
CAF stated that the programme is designed not only to support tournament operations but also to create an alumni network of skilled Africans who can contribute to future sporting events across the continent. Successful applicants will benefit from:
- Training and skill development.
- Official uniforms and certificates of participation.
- Networking opportunities with peers and professionals.
- The chance to contribute to Africa’s football legacy.
Volunteer registration opened on 17 September 2025. Selection and training will take place in October and November, with operations commencing in mid-December through to the tournament’s conclusion on 18 January 2026.
CAF described the initiative as an “exciting opportunity” for Africans to contribute to the growth of the continent’s flagship sporting event, which is expected to draw millions of visitors to Morocco.
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AFCON
CAF Security Chief, Nigeria’s Emeruwa, Leads Inspection of Tangier Stadium Ahead of Major Tournaments
Nigeria’s Dr. Christian Emeruwa, President of the Security and Safety Division of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), on Thursday, September 18, led an inspection visit to the Grand Stade de Tangier as preparations intensify for upcoming continental and global football events.
Emeruwa, who heads CAF’s continental security architecture, was joined by CAF Secretary General Véron Mosengo-Omba, senior Moroccan officials, and executives of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).
The delegation also included managers of operational companies at the Grand Stade and SONARGES executives.
According to Le 360, the Nigerian official expressed satisfaction with the stadium’s facilities after touring key operational areas, including the main control room with its giant surveillance screen, as well as spectator, player, and VIP access zones.
The inspection was bolstered by the presence of Morocco’s top security and administrative officers—the regional commander of the Royal Gendarmerie, officials of the Auxiliary Forces and Civil Protection, the Wali of Security, the governor in charge of Internal Affairs, and representatives of the National Agency for Public Equipment (ANEP).
A technical meeting followed the tour, where engineers presented recent safety and security upgrades. Among the highlights was the planned installation of a FIFA-standard tarpaulin roof to enhance the venue’s compliance with global hosting requirements.
For Nigeria, the spotlight on Dr. Emeruwa underscores the country’s growing influence in African football administration, particularly in the critical areas of safety and security management for CAF competitions.
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Morocco has received 723 high-end buses from Chinese manufacturer Yutong as part of preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which kicks off on December 21.
Yutong said on social media that the fleet “has officially rolled off the production line” and will provide “comprehensive transport services and reliable operational support” during the tournament.
An official handover ceremony was held on Friday at the company’s facility in Zhengzhou, Henan province, attended by Moroccan representatives and Yutong executives.
The buses were designed to cope with Morocco’s terrain and climate, including steep slopes, heat and sandstorms. They feature an independent front axle suspension to navigate narrow city streets and Yutong’s in-house “Blue Core System” for fuel efficiency.
The delivery is the largest single order of Chinese buses in Africa. Yutong will station more than 100 technicians in Morocco to provide training, maintenance and round-the-clock support during AFCON.
The deal is part of Morocco’s broader transport strategy, which includes plans to purchase 7,000 new buses by 2030—half of them electric—as the country prepares to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
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