AFCON 2025
Nigeria have received a bye into the second round of qualifying for the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, sparing the U-23 Eagles the need to negotiate an opening-round tie as the race for a place at the finals gathers pace.
The draw, conducted by the Confederation of African Football, placed Nigeria among the exempted nations who skip the first round entirely. The U-23 Eagles will instead await the winner of the tie between Mauritania and DR Congo, who face off in round one before the victor advances to meet Nigeria for a spot in round three.
Should Nigeria get past that hurdle, they will run into a tougher test. The winner of the Burkina Faso vs Sierra Leone/Zambia tie stands in the way of a ticket to the U-23 AFCON finals, setting up a testing route through the qualifiers even with the early bye factored in.
Nigeria’s exemption stems from their standing among the continent’s traditional heavyweights. The Super Eagles’ age-grade side was grouped alongside Morocco, Mali, Ghana, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea as one of the higher-ranked nations spared the opening round, underlining the pedigree Nigeria still carries at U-23 level despite recent inconsistency in continental youth competitions.
The format means 14 teams enter the competition directly at the second-round stage, joining the winners who emerge from the first round of two-legged ties. Round one fixtures are scheduled to be completed before the second-round pairings kick off, giving Nigeria a watching brief before their own campaign begins in earnest.
A place at the U-23 AFCON carries added significance beyond continental bragging rights. The tournament doubles as Africa’s qualifying pathway to the Olympic Games football event, meaning progress through these rounds keeps Nigeria’s hopes of a return to the Olympic stage alive.
The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed the draw outcome on its official channels, mapping out the route Nigeria must navigate: a second-round date with the Mauritania-DR Congo winner, followed by a potential meeting with the Burkina Faso-Sierra Leone/Zambia winner for qualification.
Matches in the first round will hold between September 28 and October 6 while second matches are scheduled bewteen November 9 and 17. The final round of qualifiers before the tournament are slated for March 22 and 30, 2027.
