Nigeria’s U-23 team will begin its quest for a place at the 2027 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations against either Mauritania or the Democratic Republic of Congo in the second round of the qualifiers.
The draw conducted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday handed Nigeria a bye into the second round, alongside 13 other higher-ranked teams.
Mauritania and DR Congo will first battle for a place in the second round, with the winner advancing to face Nigeria in a two-legged tie.
The first round features 14 two-legged fixtures involving 28 countries. The pairings are:
Sierra Leone vs Burkina Faso
Mauritania vs DR Congo
São Tomé and Príncipe vs Equatorial Guinea
Togo vs Libya
Tunisia vs Benin
Kenya vs Tanzania
Djibouti vs South Sudan
Ethiopia vs Uganda
Rwanda vs Sudan
Comoros vs Madagascar
Angola vs Namibia
Seychelles vs Botswana
Malawi vs Eswatini
Zimbabwe vs Mauritius
The first-round ties are scheduled for September 28 and October 6, 2026.
The other second-round pairings are:
Sierra Leone/Burkina Faso winner vs Zambia
São Tomé and Príncipe/Equatorial Guinea winner vs Niger
Togo/Libya winner vs Ghana
Tunisia/Benin winner vs Gabon
Kenya/Tanzania winner vs Côte d’Ivoire
