Super Eagles to know their fate on April 19

Uncertainty surrounding the date of the draw for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers has now been put to rest as the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has announced April 19 as the date for the draws.

According to a statement on CAF’s website, the body will announce all the platforms where the draw can be followed in due course.

Indications suggest that the Executive Committee of CAF met on April 7 in a video conference to submit this date to member associations - including the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The Executive Committee also discussed the possibility of modifying the calendar of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers to allow the countries qualified for the 2022 World Cup, to be better prepared. 

The qualifying series - comprised of a total of six matches for each team in the first round - could see two matches played in June, two played in September and two in March 2023, instead of four matches in June and two in September. 

The 48 teams will be drawn into 12 groups of four teams (from Group A to Group L). The groups are expected to consist of the 42 teams in addition, to the six winners of the preliminary round.

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations hosts, Ivory Coast, will participate in the qualifiers with the team guaranteed a spot in the finals regardless of its ranking in the group.

Nigeria's Super Eagles who crashed out in the round of 16 of January's AFCON in Cameroon are in pot 1 alongside Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Cameroon, Algeria, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana and DR Congo.

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations is expected to kick off from June 23 to July 23. The draw could be held in South Africa.