CAF has locked in kick-off times and venues for Nigeria’s opening AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, with Eric Chelle managing an injury crisis ahead of the September window.
The wait for concrete dates is over. CAF has confirmed the Super Eagles AFCON 2027 qualifiers schedule, and Nigeria now knows exactly when and where its campaign for a place at Pamoja AFCON 2027 begins.
Eric Chelle’s side will host Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on 25 September, kicking off at 4pm. Four days later, on 29 September, the Super Eagles travel to face Guinea-Bissau, with that match set for 1pm. Both games fall inside a three-week international window running from 24 September to 6 October, after FIFA merged two separate breaks into one consolidated period.
Nigeria landed in a tough Group L alongside co-hosts Tanzania, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau. As a result, only one automatic qualifying spot is up for grabs, since Tanzania is already guaranteed a place as one of three nations jointly hosting the tournament. That leaves Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau fighting over a single slot — which means every point from these opening two matchdays counts more than usual.
Matchdays three and four of Group L follow in November, when Nigeria faces Tanzania home and away. However, a slow start in September would put real pressure on that later doubleheader, so Chelle’s side has little margin for slip-ups this month.
Ahead of the squad announcement, our Super Eagles Squad Watch piece flagged Chelle’s plan to lean on his strongest available names. That plan has since been complicated. Six players are currently sidelined for the September window: Christantus Uche, Sadiq Umar, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Zaidu Sanusi, Tochukwu Nnadi and Yira Sor.
Uche’s absence is the most serious. He suffered a knee injury with multiple ligament and meniscus damage during a Getafe pre-season friendly, underwent surgery, and is expected to miss the rest of the club season entirely. Meanwhile, Dele-Bashiru’s thigh problem — covered in our earlier injury report — continues to cloud his availability for Uyo.
That said, there’s good news too. Victor Osimhen and Alex Iwobi headline what remains a strong group, and new Brighton signing Femi Azeez is in line for a first competitive cap after impressing for Nigeria at the Unity Cup over the summer, where he contributed two goals and an assist. Our report on his deadline-day move to Brighton has more on how that transfer came together.
A strong return from these two matchdays would put Nigeria in control of Group L heading into the November window against Tanzania. For a nation that has reached the AFCON final as recently as 2023, anything less than genuine control of this group would be viewed as a missed opportunity — especially with the tournament, officially branded Pamoja AFCON 2027, being jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June to July 2027.
For fans planning to follow the action, our live scores and AI predictions hub will carry updates from both fixtures as they happen.
Nigeria hosts Madagascar on 25 September 2026 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, with kick-off at 4pm.
The Super Eagles travel to Guinea-Bissau on 29 September 2026, with the match kicking off at 1pm.
Nigeria shares Group L with co-hosts Tanzania, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, with only one automatic qualifying spot available since Tanzania is already guaranteed a place as a host nation.
Christantus Uche, Sadiq Umar, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Zaidu Sanusi, Tochukwu Nnadi and Yira Sor are all sidelined for the September qualifiers, with Uche ruled out long-term after knee surgery.
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