In exactly three weeks’ time, the Super Eagles will know their opponents in the qualification race for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations with a total of 52 Nations set to be engaged to compete for a place in the 24-nation competition. Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
Next year’s finals, which will be the 35th edition of Africa’s flagship football championship, will be staged by Morocco.
Preliminary stage survivors Chad, e-Swatini, Liberia and South Sudan will join 44 others for the draw that will hold at the SuperSport studios in Johannesburg, South Africa in the afternoon of Thursday, 4th July.
The 48 countries will be drawn into 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two teams in each pool qualifying directly to the finals in Morocco.
The first two games of the qualification series will take place in the FIFA window in September (2nd – 10th), with two other matches in the window in October (7th – 15th) and the final two games in the November window (11th – 19th).
Nigeria’s Super Eagles are the defending vice champions of the trophy.
By Olaleye Oluwadamilola