Eagles to avoid Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire as AFCON group draw holds Monday

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will be in pot one for the group stage draw of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco. 

The seeding slot means Nigeria will not be drawn against any other football powerhouse in the first pot during the AFCON group stage draw billed to be held at Mohamed V National Theatre in Casablanca on Monday.

Other teams seeded into the pot one alongside the Eagles are Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, and Cote d’Ivoire.

Nigeria earned a spot among the top-ranked teams for the draw due to the team’s position as one of the best teams in Africa, according to the latest FIFA rankings.

The last ranking in December placed the Eagles as the fifth-best team on the continent.

Éric Chelle, the Super Eagles’ head coach, is expected to attend the draw ceremony, along with Dayo Enebi Achor, the team administrator, and Sharif Inuwa, chairman of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) ‘s technical and development committee.

The 35th AFCON is scheduled to kick off in Morocco on December 21, 2025, till January 18, 2026.

The Eagles hope to surpass their second-placed finish at the last edition in Cote d’Ivoire.

HOW TEAMS ARE SEEDED FOR THE AFCON GROUP STAGE DRAW

Pot 1: Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire

 Pot 2: Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, South Africa, DR Congo, Burkina Faso

 Pot 3: Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Benin Republic

 Pot 4: Mozambique, Comoros, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Botswana