Seven-time champions Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have been drawn into a challenging group for this year’s CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), scheduled to take place in Cote d’Ivoire from April 26 to May 11. The draw, conducted on Thursday in Cairo, Egypt, placed Nigeria in Group B, widely regarded as the tournament’s ‘Group of Death.’ The group features three former champions: Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco.
In the last edition of the competition, Nigeria defeated host nation Egypt 1-0 in a group phase match. The Flying Eagles will be looking for a strong start in Cote d’Ivoire to build confidence for the tough matches ahead. Nigeria finished in third place during the tournament in Egypt two years ago.
Former Malian player Adama Coulibaly, who participated in the draw at the CAF headquarters, commented: “There is no doubt that the toughest group is the Group B that has Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa and Morocco.”
Hosts Cote d’Ivoire have been drawn into Group A, where they will face DR Congo, Ghana, Tanzania, and the yet-to-be-named representative team from the Central Africa zone in a five-team group.
Defending champions Senegal will head Group C, which includes Zambia and two debutants, Kenya and Sierra Leone. The tournament’s quarterfinals will feature the top two teams from each group, along with the best two third-placed teams across all three groups.
