AFCON
South Africa’s Match is Nigeria’s 100th Afcon Qualifier
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
If the five annulled Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches involving Nigeria are excluded, the Saturday fixture with the Bafana Bafana will be Nigeria’s 100th qualifying match in the history of the competition, Sports Village Square can assert.
The figure could have been higher as the encounter with Chad on June 13, 2015 in Kaduna could have been the milestone 100th Africa Cup of Nations match involving Nigeria, but CAF technically annulled the match owing to later withdrawal of Chad from the competition.
The same principle is therefore applied to other matches which results were later annulled by CAF. These were the qualifying matches Nigeria played in the quest for 2000 Africa Cup of Nations that was originally slated for Zimbabwe.
Sports Village Square recalls that before the revocation of the hosting rights that were later jointly given to Nigeria and Ghana, the Super Eagles had played away matches with Burkina Faso and Senegal as well as a home game against Burundi in Abeokuta.
The results were cancelled just like the 1961 away qualifying match with Tunisia. The later match was awarded to Tunisia on account of Nigeria’s walkout for poor officiating. Score line at the time stood at 2-2 with Nigeria leading 4-3 on aggregate.
Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying Matches
1962, Africa Cup of Nations, Ethiopia
- April 8, 1961, Lagos: Nigeria 0-0 Ghana
- April 30, 1961, Accra: Ghana 2-2 Nigeria [Nigeria won on lots*]
- November 25, 1951, Lagos: Nigeria 2-1 Tunisia
- December 10, 1961, Tunis: Tunisia 2-2 Nigeria (Match annulled, awarded to Tunisia)
1963 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana
- July 27, 1963, Lagos: Nigeria 2-2 Guinea
- October 6, 1963, Conakry: Guinea 1-0 Nigeria * Guinea disqualified, Nigeria qualified
1965 Africa Cup of Nations, Tunisia
Nigeria withdrew from prelims
1968 Africa Cup of Nations, Ethiopia
- March 12, 1967, Lagos: Nigeria 0-0 Cote d’Ivoire
- April 2, 1967, Lomé: Togo 1-0 Nigeria
- April 15, 1967, Lagos: Nigeria 4-2 Togo
- May 7, 1967, Abidjan: Cote d’Ivoire 2-0 Nigeria
1970 Africa Cup of Nations, Sudan
Niger w/o Nigeria
1972 Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon
- November 8, 1970, Ibadan: Nigeria 0-0 Congo
- November, 22, 1970, Brazzaville: Congo 2-1 Nigeria
1974 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt
- September 16, 1973, Khartoum: Sudan 1-1 Nigeria
- September 30, 1973, Lagos: Nigeria 2-1 Sudan
- October 28, 1973, Lusaka: Zambia 5-1 Nigeria
- November 11, 1973, Lagos: Nigeria 3-2 Zambia [Zambia qualify]
1976 Africa Cup of Nations, Ethiopia
- October 26, 1975, Brazzaville: Congo 0-1 Nigeria
- November 9, 1975, Lagos: Nigeria 2-1 Congo [Nigeria qualify]
1978 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana
- June 12, 1977, Dakar: Senegal 3-1 Nigeria
- June 25, 1977, Lagos: Nigeria 3-0 Senegal [Nigeria qualify]
1980 Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria
*Automatic as hosts
- Africa Cup of Nations, Libya
*Automatic as defending champions
1984 Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire
- April 9, 1983, Lagos: Nigeria 2-0 Angola
- April 24, 1983, Luanda: Angola 1-0 Nigeria
- August 14, 1983, Benin: Nigeria 0-0 Morocco
- August 28, 1983, Rabat: Morocco 0-0 Nigeria [Nigeria qualify 4-3 on pen.]
1986 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt
- August 10, 1985, Lagos: Nigeria 0-0 Zambia
- August 18, 1985, Lusaka: Zambia 1-0 Nigeria [Zambia qualify]
1988 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco
- March 28, 1987, Ibadan: Nigeria 2-0 Togo
- April 2, 1987, Lomé: Togo 1-1 Nigeria
- July 4, 1987, Ibadan: Nigeria 3-0 Sierra Leone
- July 18, 1987, Freetown: Sierra Leone 2-0 Nigeria [Nigeria qualify]
1990 Africa Cup of Nations, Algeria
- April 9, 1989, Conakry: Guinea 1-1 Nigeria
- April 22, 1989, Ibadan: Nigeria 3-0 Guinea
- July 15, 1989, Ibadan: Nigeria 3-0 Zimbabwe
- July 29, 1989, Harare: Zimbabwe 1-1 Nigeria [Nigeria qualify]
1992 Africa Cup of Nations, Senegal
- August 19, 1990, Lagos: Nigeria 3-0 Togo
- September 1, 1990, Accra: Ghana 1-0 Nigeria
- September 30, 1990, Cotonou: Benin 0-1 Nigeria
- January 13, 1991, Ouagadougou: Burkina Faso 1-1 Nigeria
- January 27, 1991, Lomé: Togo 0-0 Nigeria
- April 13, 1991, Lagos: Nigeria 0-0 Ghana
- April 27, 1991, Lagos: Nigeria 3-0 Benin
- July 27, 1991, Lagos: Nigeria 7-1 Burkina Faso
1994 Africa Cup of Nations, Tunisia
- August 16, 1992, Khartoum: Sudan 0-0 Nigeria
- August 29, 1992, Lagos: Nigeria 2-0 Uganda
- April 11, 1993, Addis Ababa: Ethiopia 1-0 Nigeria
- April 24, 1993, Lagos: Nigeria 4-0 Sudan
- July 17, 1993, Kampala: Uganda 0-0 Nigeria
- July 24, 1993, Lagos: Nigeria 6-0 Ethiopia
- October 4, 1998, Ouagadougou: Burkina Faso 0-0 Nigeria [annulled]
- January 23, 1999, Abeokuta: Nigeria 2-0 Burundi [annulled]
- February 28, 1999, Dakar Senegal 1-1 Nigeria [annulled)
- Africa Cup of Nations, South Africa
*Automatic as defending champions, but withdrew
1998 Africa Cup of Nations, Burkina Faso
*Banned
2002 Africa Cup of Nations, Mali
- September 2, 2000, Lagos: Nigeria 4-0 Namibia
- October 7, 2000 Antananarivo: Madagascar 0-0 Nigeria
- January 13, 2001, Lagos: Nigeria 1-0 Zambia
- March 24, 2001, Chingola: Zambia 1-1 Nigeria
- June 2, 2001, Benin: Nigeria 1-0 Madagascar
- June 16, 2001, Windhoek: Namibia 0-2 Nigeria
2004 Africa Cup of Nations, Tunisia
- September 8, 2002, Luanda: Angola 0-0 Nigeria
- March 29, 2003, Blantyre: Malawi 0-1 Nigeria
- June 7, 2003, Abuja: Nigeria 4-1 Malawi
- June 21, 2003 Benin: Nigeria 2-2 Angola
2006 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt
- June 5, 2004, Abuja: Nigeria 2-0 Rwanda
- June 20, 2004, Luanda: Angola 1-0 Nigeria
- July 3, 2004, Abuja: Nigeria 1-0 Algeria
- September 5, 2004, Harare: Zimbabwe 0-3 Nigeria
- October 9, 2004 Libreville: Gabon 1-1 Nigeria
- March 26, 2005, Port Harcourt: Nigeria 2-0 Gabon
- June 5, 2005, Kigali: Rwanda 1-1 Nigeria
- June 18, 2005 Kano: Nigeria 1-1 Angola
- September 4, 2005, Oran: Algeria 2-5 Nigeria
- October 8, 2005, Lagos: Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana
- September 6, 2006, Abuja: Nigeria 2-0 Niger
- October 8, 2006, Maseru: Lesotho 0-1 Nigeria
- March 24, 2007, Abeokuta: Nigeria 1-0 Uganda
- June 2, 2007, Kampala: Uganda 2-1 Nigeria
- June 17, 2007, Niamey: Niger 1-3 Nigeria
- September 8, 2007, Warri: Nigeria 2-0 Lesotho
2010 Africa Cup of Nations, Angola
- June 1, 2008, Abuja: Nigeria 2-0 South Africa
- June 7, 2008, Freetown: Sierra Leone 0-1 Nigeria
- June 15, 2008, Malabo: Equat. Guinea 0-1 Nigeria
- June 21, 2008, Abuja: Nigeria 2-0 Equat. Guinea
- September 6, 2008, Port Elizabeth: South Africa 0-1 Nigeria
- October 11, 2008, Abuja: Nigeria 4-1 Sierra Leone
2012 Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea/Gabon
- September 5, 2010, Calabar: Nigeria 2–0 Madagascar
- October 10, 2010, Conakry: Guinea 1–0 Nigeria
- March 27, 2011, Abuja: Nigeria 4–0 Ethiopia
- June 5, 2011, Addis Ababa: Ethiopia 2–2 Nigeria
- September 4, 2011, Antananarivo: Madagascar 0–2 Nigeria
- October 8, 2011, Abuja: Nigeria 2–2 Guinea
2013 Africa Cup of Nations, South Africa
- February 29, 2012, Kigali: Rwanda 0-0 Nigeria
- June 16, 2012, Calabar: Nigeria 2-0 Rwanda
- September 8, 2012. Monrovia: Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- October 13, 2012, Calabar: Nigeria 6-1 Liberia
2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Gabon
- September 6, 2014, Calabar: Nigeria 2-3 Congo-Brazzaville
- September 10, 2014, Cape Town: South Africa 0-0 Nigeria
- October 11, 2014, Khartoum: Sudan 1-0 Nigeria
- October 15, 2014, Abuja: Nigeria 3-1 Sudan
- November 15, 2014. Pointe-Noire: Congo-Brazzaville 0-2 Nigeria
- November 19, 2014, Uyo: Nigeria 2-2 South Africa
2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea
- June 13, 2015, Kaduna: Nigeria 2-0 Chad (annulled)
- September 5, 2015, Dar es Salaam: Tanzania 0-0 Nigeria
- March 25, 2016, Kaduna: Nigeria 1-1 Egypt
- March 29, 2016, Alexandria: Egypt 1-0 Nigeria
- September 3, 2016, Uyo: Nigeria 1-0 Tanzania
2017 Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon
- June 10, 2017, Uyo: Nigeria vs South Africa
Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has praised Morocco’s King Mohammed VI for what he described as a powerful gesture of unity and reconciliation following the royal pardon granted to Senegalese supporters convicted over offences linked to the final match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
In a statement released on Saturday, Motsepe expressed deep appreciation on behalf of CAF’s 54 member associations, hailing the Moroccan monarch’s decision as a demonstration of football’s ability to foster peace and solidarity across the continent.
“I would like to express our deep gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, for granting His Royal Pardon to the Senegalese supporters convicted of offences relating to the final match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025,” Motsepe stated.
The CAF president said the pardon reflected Morocco’s enduring commitment to African unity and highlighted football’s growing role as a bridge between nations and cultures.
“CAF has consistently emphasised its commitment to utilise football to contribute to uniting our people from different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds,” he said.
“The pardon by His Majesty King Mohammed VI is an uplifting and motivating illustration of the power of football to unite and bring our people together in Africa and worldwide.”
Motsepe also revealed that during recent visits to both Morocco and Senegal, he had been struck by the deep historical and cultural bonds shared by the two countries.
“I was amazed and impressed when I was briefed about the historic and extensive ties between the people of Senegal and Morocco,” he added.
The statement further reinforced Morocco’s rising influence within African football, especially after successfully hosting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and positioning itself as one of Africa’s leading football destinations ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which it will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
Motsepe also extended CAF’s best wishes to Africa’s representatives at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, expressing confidence that the continent’s teams would perform strongly on the global stage.
Among the African nations mentioned were Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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By Kunle Solaja.
Former African champions Algeria and Zambia are set for an early showdown after the release of the Group I fixtures for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Algeria host Zambia on Matchday One on September 21, 2026, in what is expected to be one of the headline fixtures of the qualifying campaign, while Togo entertain Burundi in the group’s other opening tie.
The Desert Foxes are favourites to qualify, but Zambia’s growing consistency and Togo’s unpredictability could make the race highly competitive.
Algeria travel to Burundi on Matchday Two before facing Togo in back-to-back encounters across Matchdays Three and Four. Zambia also meet Burundi home and away during the same period.
The potentially decisive fixture comes on March 22, 2027, when Zambia host Algeria in a clash that could determine the final standings.
Group I Fixtures
Matchday 1 — September 21, 2026
- Algeria vs Zambia
- Togo vs Burundi
Matchday 2 — October 6, 2026
- Zambia vs Togo
- Burundi vs Algeria
Matchday 3 — October 2026
- Algeria vs Togo
- Zambia vs Burundi
Matchday 4 — November 17, 2026
- Togo vs Algeria
- Burundi vs Zambia
Matchday 5 — March 22, 2027
- Zambia vs Algeria
- Burundi vs Togo
Matchday 6 — March 30, 2027
- Togo vs Zambia
- Algeria vs Burundi
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By Kunle Solaja.
African heavyweights Senegal will launch their quest for another Africa Cup of Nations appearance with a home clash against Mozambique in Group J of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
The Lions of Teranga, among the continent’s strongest teams in recent years, headline a group that also includes Sudan and Ethiopia.
Senegal host Mozambique on Matchday One on September 21, 2026, while Sudan tackle Ethiopia in the other opening encounter.
Senegal are strong favourites to dominate the group, but Sudan and Mozambique are expected to battle fiercely for qualification points.
The key fixtures may emerge in the double-header between Senegal and Sudan across Matchdays Three and Four, while Mozambique and Ethiopia also face each other home and away.
Senegal travel to Mozambique on Matchday Five before ending their campaign at home against Ethiopia on March 30, 2027.
Group J Fixtures
Matchday 1 — September 21, 2026
- Senegal vs Mozambique
- Sudan vs Ethiopia
Matchday 2 — October 6, 2026
- Mozambique vs Sudan
- Ethiopia vs Senegal
Matchday 3 — October 2026
- Senegal vs Sudan
- Mozambique vs Ethiopia
Matchday 4 — November 17, 2026
- Sudan vs Senegal
- Ethiopia vs Mozambique
Matchday 5 — March 22, 2027
- Mozambique vs Senegal
- Ethiopia vs Sudan
Matchday 6 — March 30, 2027
- Sudan vs Mozambique
- Senegal vs Ethiopia
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