AFCON 2025 Qualifiers: Nigeria Drawn Against Benin Republic, Libya and Rwanda

• The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been handed a tricky draw in the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
• The three-time African champions have been drawn into a tough Group D along with Benin, Libya, and Rwanda
• 48 countries will participate in the qualifiers, with the first two teams from the 12 groups qualifying for AFCON

The Super Eagles have been drawn to face familiar foes in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers following the conclusion of the draw ceremony on Thursday, July 4.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) had placed the three-time African champions among the top-ranked teams before the draws, placing Nigeria into pot one.

According to the Daily Post, the Super Eagles have been drawn in Group D along with Benin, Libya, and Rwanda as they begin their quest for another AFCON title after losing the 2023 edition final to Ivory Coast.

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The Squirrels of the Benin Republic and the Bees of Rwanda are familiar foes for the Super Eagles as they are also in the same 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying group as Nigeria.

The 2025 AFCON qualifiers will kick off in September and run through November 2025.

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Meanwhile, the AFCON finals will be played in Morocco between December 21, 2025, and January 18, 2026, CAF has announced prior to the draw in Johannesburg, Complete Sports reports.

48 countries, including host nation Morocco, will participate in the qualifiers, while the first two teams from the 12 groups will qualify for Africa’s biggest football competition next year.

Top teams like Senegal, Egypt, Mali, Nigeria, and Ghana will be seeking to secure a spot at next year’s AFCON for a chance to dethrone Ivory Coast as the continent’s champions.

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Nigeria seeded in AFCON qualifiers pot 1

Sports Brief also previously reported that Nigeria is one of the top-ranked teams for the 2025 AFCON after unveiling the top seeds for the qualifying draws.

CAF had placed the Super Eagles alongside 11 other top African countries in pot one ahead of the draw ceremony held on July 4 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Mali, South Africa, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo had all joined Nigeria.