Nigeria to face hosts Ivory Coast in AFCON 2024 group stage

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) president, Patrice Motsepe, and four African football icons: Didier Drogba, Achraf Hakimi, Sadio Mane, and John Obi Mikel, conducted the draw for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast. Nigeria’s Super Eagles were placed in Group A along with Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau.

The Super Eagles, who have lifted the AFCON trophy three times in 1980, 1994, and 2013, will have a tough test against the Ivorian team, who have the advantage of playing at home. The last time the two teams faced each other was in the quarterfinals of the 2013 edition in South Africa, where Nigeria won 2-1 with goals from Emmanuel Emenike and Sunday Mba.

The other two teams in Group A, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, will try to surprise their opponents and qualify for the knockout stages. Equatorial Guinea made it to the tournament as the best third-placed team in the qualifiers, while Guinea-Bissau came second in their group behind Senegal.

The 2024 AFCON will take place from January 13 to February 13, 2024, in six stadiums across Ivory Coast. The tournament was initially planned for June–July 2023, but it was shifted to January 2024 due to worries about the rainy season in Ivory Coast. This is the first time that Ivory Coast will host the AFCON since 1984, when they came in third behind champions Cameroon and runners-up Nigeria.

The following are the other groups for the 2024 AFCON:

• Group B: Senegal, Morocco, Zimbabwe, and Comoros
• Group C: Algeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Djibouti
• Group D: Tunisia, Egypt, Mali, and Gambia
• Group E: Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Cape Verde
• Group F: DR Congo, Gabon, Sudan, and Malawi

The round of 16 will feature the top two teams from each group and the four best third-placed teams. The final will be held on February 13 at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan.