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By JOE APU
Nigeria has been drawn against Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania and Madagascar in Group L of the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations following the draw ceremony conducted on Tuesday in Cairo.
The Super Eagles will battle for a place at the continental championship to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17 next year.
Nigeria appears to have received a manageable draw, although the presence of co-host Tanzania means only one team apart from the East African nation can qualify automatically from Group L.
According to the qualification format, the top two teams in each group will qualify for the 24-team finals, except in Groups D, H and L which contain the three host nations. In those groups, only the highest-placed side outside the hosts will secure qualification.
The Super Eagles will therefore be expected to finish ahead of Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar, while also competing strongly against Tanzania despite the hosts already being guaranteed a place at the tournament.
Elsewhere, Group A consists of Lesotho, Niger, Gabon and Morocco, while Group B contains South Sudan, Malawi, Angola and Egypt.
Group C will see Somalia, Gambia and Ghana face Ivory Coast, while Group D includes Eritrea, Kenya, Guinea and South Africa.
In Group E, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea were drawn alongside Democratic Republic of Congo, while Group F features Central African Republic, Mauritania, Benin and Burkina Faso.
Group G pits Congo, Namibia and Comoros against Cameroon, while Botswana, Libya and Uganda will face Tunisia in Group H.
Burundi, Togo and Zambia were drawn with Algeria in Group I, while Ethiopia, Sudan and Mozambique will battle Senegal in Group J.
Group K contains Liberia, Rwanda, Cape Verde and Mali.
The qualifiers will be played across three international windows, with matches scheduled for September 21 to October 6 and November 9 to 17 this year, before concluding from March 22 to 30 next year. Each team will play two matches in every window.
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Group A: Lesotho, Niger, Gabon, Morocco
Group B: South Sudan, Malawi, Angola, Egypt
Group C: Somalia, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast
Group D: Eritrea, Kenya, Guinea, South Africa
Group E: Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo
Group F: Central African Republic, Mauritania, Benin, Burkina Faso
Group G: Congo, Namibia, Comoros, Cameroon
Group H: Botswana, Libya, Uganda, Tunisia
Group I: Burundi, Togo, Zambia, Algeria
Group J: Ethiopia, Sudan, Mozambique, Senegal
Group K: Liberia, Rwanda, Cape Verde, Mali
Group L: Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, Madagascar, Nigeria
