It has emerged that the Super Eagles of Nigeria have been ranked in Pot 1 for the draw of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025, according to Sportsbuddy reports.
CAF revealed the procedures for the draw on Wednesday, with only 48 teams eligible for the official draw.
Top-Ranked Nations
CAF announced that Pot 1 will be made up of the 12 best-ranked countries as per the last FIFA rankings published on June 20, 2024.
Nigeria is in fifth position in Africa, other nations are Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Mali, South Africa, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This placement means that Nigeria will not come across these top teams in the group stage.
Super Eagles Avoids Tough Opponents
This is especially important in view of Nigeria’s relations with some of these countries in the past. Ghana denied Nigeria a place in the 2022 World Cup, Côte d’Ivoire beat Nigeria in the 2023 AFCON final and present a major challenge for Nigeria as they try to qualify for the next World Cup.
The draw for the AFCON 2025 qualifiers will produce 12 groups of four teams each (Group A-L). The two best teams in each group, except for the group of teams that hosts the tournament Morocco.
Upcoming Draw Ceremony
The draw ceremony will be conducted in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday. The AFCON 2025 finals will be staged from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
This placement in Pot 1 will really help Nigeria as they seek a good start in the upcoming tournament
