Ghana and Nigeria are paired together for the third time in the qualifying series for the African Nations Championship. They had met in the 2009 and the 2022 series. The aggregate results were in Ghana’s favour.

First in the 2009 qualifiers, Nigeria squandered a 2-0 first-half lead in Accra and lost 3-2. But going into the return leg played in Calabar, they could not score a goal that could have seen them through on away goal rule as they ended the match 0-0.

In the last edition, Nigeria for the 2023 edition, Nigeria lost 2-0 in Accra but levelled up in Abuja after a late 2-0 win. But in the eventual penalty shoot-out, the Nigerian team lost 5-4.

Will they overcome Ghana this time?

The age-long rivalry has again been rekindled as the draw for the 2025 African Nations Championship has pitched Ghana and Nigeria together.

Both teams have a rivalry that dates back to 1951 and will have a confrontation that determines which country will qualify for the tournament which is opened only to domestic players.

It is also a measure of the relative strength of the domestic leagues of the countries. Ghana and Nigeria will play just in the second round of the West Africa Zone B qualifier while Togo and Benin will the first round and the winner play against Niger Republic.

The rivalry of Nigeria and Ghana has gone beyond sports, especially in football, It extends to the culinary industry as each claims to be better in the cooking of Jollof rice, hence the ‘Jollof Rice’ controversy.

In another West Africa Zone B qualifiers, Cote d’Ivoire will face Burkina Faso. The first round of qualifiers will be played on the weekend of 25 – 27 October and 01 – 03 November 2024, with the second round confirmed for 20 – 22 December and 27 – 29 December 2024.

Three nations qualify for the tournament from each zone except the East, where one country qualifies with co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Finals to be played from Feb 1-28, 2025 in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kampala.

North Region

Libya, Morocco and Tunisia qualify automatically

West A region

First Round

• Sierra Leone v Liberia

Second Round

• Sierra Leone or Liberia v Senegal (holders)

Mauritania v Mali

Guinea v Guinea-Bissau

West B region

First Round

Togo v Benin

Second Round

Togo or Benin v Niger

Ivory Coast v Burkina Faso

Ghana v Nigeria

Central region

Second Round

Equatorial Guinea v Congo Brazzaville

Central African Republic v Cameroon

Chad v Democratic Republic of Congo

East region

First Round

Burundi v Somalia

Ethiopia v Eritrea

Sudan v Tanzania (co-hosts)

South Sudan v Kenya (co-hosts)

Djibouti v Rwanda

Second Round

Burundi or Somalia v Uganda (co-hosts)

Ethiopia or Eritrea v Sudan or Tanzania

South Sudan or Kenya v Djibouti or Rwanda

South region

First Round

Zimbabwe v Eswatini

Lesotho v Namibia

Second Round

Zimbabwe or Eswatini v Madagascar

Lesotho or Namibia v Angola

Mozambique v Zambia

The road to the African Nations Championship (CHAN) holding in East Africa will be mapped out next Wednesday. According to CAF, the  2024 Qualifiers draw will be conducted at 14h00 Cairo time (11h00 GMT).

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will host the tournament between 01 – 28 February 2025.

Ahead of the finals, two rounds of qualifiers will take place on a home and away basis.

The first round of qualifiers will be played on the weekend of 25 – 27 October and 01 – 03 November 2024, with the second round confirmed for 20 – 22 December and 27 – 29 December 2024.

Since its 2009 inception, the  CHAN tournament has been an exceptional platform of showcasing the world-class talent and quality of African football as well as its ever-evoling landscape.

Algeria played host to the last edition of the tournament which drew thousands of supporters, millions of global audiences and digital engagement as a result of the rising popularity and quality of the tournament.

In line with CAF’s key objective of increasing the commercial strength of its competitions, the CHAN competition has also seen an increased rise in commercial value.

This has also been supported by CAF’s 60% increase in the tournament’s prize money that sees the winners walking away with $2 Million.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania’s hosting of the competition also serves as an opportunity for the three nations to fine-tune their preparations for the hosting of the  Africa Cup of Nations 2027.

CAF will soon communicate details and procedures for the draw.

African Nations Championship Previous Winners:

• 2009 – DR Congo
• 2011 – Tunisia
• 2014 – Libya
• 2016 – DR Congo
• 2018 – Morocco
• 2020 – Morocco
• 2022 – Senegal