CAF AFCON draw: Likely opponents for the Super Eagles in the group stage

Super Eagles of Nigeria are slated to know their opponents on Monday when the Confederation of African Football (CAF) conducts the draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, Soccernet.ng reports. 

The Jose Peseiro-led side impressed at the 2023 AFCON tournament, turning their campaign around after a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their opening game. They advanced to the final of the tournament and ultimately finishing as runners-up.

Meanwhile, as they aim to return to chase their fourth AFCON trophy, a four-pot system has seen Nigeria avoid Morroco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, and Cote d’Ivoire.

Pot Allocations for AFCON 2025

Nigeria is seeded in Pot 1 alongside top-ranked African football heavyweights like Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, and Côte d’Ivoire.

This means that the Super Eagles will avoid these formidable foes in the group stage but leave the door open for an encounter with some tough teams from the other pots.

. . . #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 ️ pic.twitter.com/hYFeBFUJlG

— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) January 24, 2025

Here is the breakdown of the pots:
Pot 1: Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire
Pot 2: Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, South Africa, DR Congo, Burkina Faso
Pot 3: Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Benin Republic
Pot 4: Mozambique, Comoros, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Botswana

CAF’s Draw Procedure

The draw will sequentially assign teams from each pot into one of four groups: Group A, Group B, Group C, and Group D. For Pot 1, the first ball drawn will go to Group A (A1), the second to Group B (B1), and so on.

A similar process will apply to the remaining pots, filling up positions in each group.
For this format, there will be a balanced distribution of teams.

Potential Group for Nigeria

If Nigeria is drawn into Group C (C1), their group could look like this:
• Group C:
• C1: Nigeria (Pot 1)
• C2: Cameroon (Pot 2)
• C3: Zambia (Pot 3)
• C4: Tanzania (Pot 4)

For a group like this, it seems like a challenging but manageable path for the Super Eagles. A face-off against a relentless Cameroon side would undoubtedly capture attention, while encounters with Zambia and Tanzania are a mix of unpredictable events.

Likely Turnout for Nigeria

While avoiding Pot 1 rivals is an advantage, Nigeria is likely to face tough competition from the likes of Mali, Tunisia, or Cameroon in Pot 2.

The Super Eagles will also need to navigate potential banana skins in Pot 3 (e.g., Zambia or Gabon) and Pot 4 teams such as Tanzania or Zimbabwe, who often punch above their weight.