SUPER EAGLES

Things to note ahead of Tuesday's AFCON 2023 qualifiers draw

Jidechi Chidiezie 22:44 - 16 April 2022

Super Eagles Starting lineup (IMAGO/Shengolpixs)

Who can the Super Eagles face, and not face? What pot are they in? What time is the draw? This guide answers all the questions.

Nigeria will know its opponents when the draw for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification series takes centre stage.

Following disappointment in last month's 2022 World Cup qualifying playoff against Ghana, the hopes will be that the Super Eagles get a favourable draw against Africa's football legion.

But what are the important things to note ahead of the qualifying draw?

When is the draw?

The draw will hold on Tuesday, April 19. The venue will be the SuperSport Studio in Johannesburg, South Africa

What time is the draw?

The event will commence at 6.30 pm Nigeria time (7.30 pm local time). South Africa is an hour ahead of Nigeria.

Ekong believes the Super Eagles were not destined to be at the World Cup

After failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, the Super Eagles will get another chance to qualify for a major tournament between June 2022 and March 2023

What teams are involved?

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

Teams have been seeded for the draw based on the FIFA rankings released on March 31.

POT 1: Senegal, Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Cameroon, Algeria, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire (hosts), Burkina Faso, Ghana, DR Congo

POT 2: South Africa, Cape Verde, Guinea, Gabon, Benin, Uganda, Zambia, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Kenya, Sierra Leone

POT 3: Namibia, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Libya, Mozambique, Malawi, Togo, Zimbabwe, Gambia, Angola, Comoros

POT 4: Tanzania, Central Africa Republic, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Liberia, South Sudan, Sao Tome and Principe

ACCRA, GHANA - FEBRUARY 10: The winners' trophy is carried on to the pitch after the AFCON Final match between Cameroon and Egypt at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, Ghana. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

AFCON trophy (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Who can Nigeria face, and not face?

The Super Eagles cannot be paired with any of the teams in pot 1. Being in the same pot guarantees that none of these teams can be in the same group during the qualification campaign. They can, however, be drawn into a group of four with any of the teams from pots 2, 3 and 4.

Why are hosts Cote d'Ivoire part of the draw?

The 2023 AFCON hosts, Ivory Coast, will participate in the qualifiers with the team guaranteed a spot in the finals regardless of its ranking in the group. Their matches and results will count in determining the qualification of the other teams from their group.

If Ivory Coast fails to finish in the top two of their group, the worst-ranked team among the group runners-up will not qualify for the final tournament.

How long does the qualification campaign last?

The qualifying matches will take place between June 2022 and March 2023.

The first two matchdays are in June 2022, with two other matchdays in September 2022. The final two matchdays are to take place in March 2023.

The Super Eagles have qualified for 19 of 33 AFCON tournaments, and won 3 of those

What are the 'tiebreakers' for the qualifying groups?

Teams are to be ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:

Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above will be reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
Goal difference in all group matches;
Goals scored in all group matches;
Away goals scored in all group matches;
Drawing of lots.

When is the 2023 AFCON?

The tournament is scheduled to be hosted by Cote d'Ivoire between June 23 and July 23, 2023. It will be the second time the country would host the competition.