FULL FIXTURES: AFCON 2025 Preliminary Round Draw Concluded; Will Nigeria Play?
- The draw for the AFCON 2025 qualifying preliminary round was made in Egypt on Tuesday, February 20
- The draw had the eight lowest-ranked teams according to the FIFA ranking: Somalia, Djibouti, Sao Tome, Chad, Mauritius, South Sudan, Liberia and Eswatini
- Legit.ng reports that Nigeria is not among the teams that will play on a home-and-away basis during the FIFA Window of March 18 to March 26
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering sports and football.
Cairo, Egypt - Following the successful conclusion of the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the focus has shifted to the next edition.
Legit.ng reports that the preliminary draw of the AFCON 2025 competition slated for Morocco was conducted today, Tuesday, February 20, at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
Source: Getty Images
Based on the current FIFA ranking released recently, the last eight ranked teams will go through the preliminary round in March on a home-and-away basis.
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Four of the eight teams will join the other 44 teams that will contest in the AFCON 2025 group stage qualifying matches from where 23 teams will emerge to join the automatic qualifier, Morocco.
The eight teams paired on Tuesday afternoon, February 20, are Somalia, Djibouti, Sao Tome, Chad, Mauritius, South Sudan, Liberia and Eswatini.
Nigeria not playing AFCON 2025 preliminary round
The continent's heavyweights like the Super Eagles of Nigeria and reigning champions, Ivory Coast, are not featuring in the preliminary round.
The Super Eagles and other top teams will have to wait until later in 2024 before they take to the fields.
Check out the full draw below:
- Djibouti vs Liberia
- Chad vs Mauritius
- Somalia vs Eswatini
- São Tomé and Príncipe vs South Sudan
More to read about AFCON:
- FULL LIST: Emerse Fae, Stephen Keshi, 9 other African coaches who won AFCON title
- Super Eagles winger who missed AFCON 2023 helps Bayer Leverkusen equal Bayern Munich’s record
- AFCON 2023: CAF clears Nigeria’s Super Eagles, sanctions Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal
AFCON 2025: Uncapped EPL star could feature
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Luton Town striker, Elijah Adebayo, disclosed that his mother would be a happy woman should he decide to play officially for the Super Eagles.
Born in England to parents of Nigerian descent, Adebayo is eligible to represent The Three Lions as well as AFCON 2023 finalists.
Speaking in a recent interview, Adebayo, 26, did not discard Nigeria.
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Source: Legit.ng
