The Super Eagles of Nigeria will begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign on Friday, September 25, when they host Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The Group L encounter is scheduled to kick off at 5:00 p.m. Nigerian time, as Nigeria begins its bid to secure a place at the 2027 AFCON finals, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau make up Group L. However, Tanzania already has an automatic place at the tournament as one of the three co-hosts, meaning only the highest-ranked team among the remaining three nations will qualify from the group.
Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has called on his players to approach the opening fixture with determination and collect points from the start of the qualifying campaign.
“We have to show everyone from Day One that we want it, and the only way to do that is to go for it with our hearts, and refuse to slow down at any point. We must go for the points without any hesitation,” Chelle said ahead of the match.
Nigeria will, however, begin the campaign without striker Victor Osimhen, who has been ruled out of the opening qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau while recovering from a muscle injury.
Chelle’s 24-man squad includes established players such as Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina and Stanley Nwabali. Newcomers Arthur Okonkwo, Isaac James and George Ilenikhena have also received their first senior call-ups.
Madagascar will enter the fixture with memories of their 2-0 victory over Nigeria at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt. The two nations have previously met five times, with Nigeria recording three victories, Madagascar one, and the other encounter ending in a draw.
The match represents the opening fixture of a two-game qualifying window for Nigeria. The Super Eagles will travel to Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, September 29, for their second Group L encounter.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has urged the team to make a positive start to the qualifying campaign, with Acting General Secretary Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme expressing confidence in the squad ahead of the Madagascar clash.
The 2027 AFCON finals are scheduled to take place from June 19 to July 17, 2027, across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
