The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was drawn on Thursday.
The draw ceremony took place in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, where the tournament is scheduled to be held from January 13 to February 11, 2024.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been drawn into Group A alongside hosts Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea Bissau for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
See full list of draw:
Group A
Ivory Coast
Nigeria
Equatorial Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Group B
Egypt
Ghana
Cape Verde
Mozambique
Group C
Senegal
Cameroon
Guinea
Gambia
Group D
Algeria
Burkina Faso
Mauritania
Angola
Group E
Tunisia
Mali
South Africa
Namibia
Group F
Morocco
DR Congo
Zambia
Tanzania.
In the qualifiers, Nigeria finished top of its group with 15 points, scoring 22 goals, including a 16-0 win on aggregate against Sao Tome and Principe.
The Super Eagles were eliminated in the Round of 16 of the competition at the last edition in Cameroon after a 1-0 loss to Tunisia.
Nigeria last won the tournament in 2013 and will look to win its fourth after recording success at the 1980 and 1994 editions.
Meanwhile, the super eagles of Nigeria are set to take on Saudi Arabia in an international friendly match at the Estadio Municipal de Portimao in Portugal on Friday, October 13.
The West African team will be playing against the oil-rich nation as part of their preparation for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and their forthcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe next month.
Saudi Arabia are also in preparations for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and will be in a fresh aura as they have a new manager in the person of the legendary Roberto Mancini.
The Super Eagles are coming off a convincing 6-0 win in their last AFCON qualifiers when they thrashed Sao Tome and Principle at the Godswil Akpabio Stadium in Uyo and will be hoping to extend their three-game consecutive wins, although they haven’t won their last three international friendlies with the last being a 1-0 loss against Portugal before the 2022 World Cup.
Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, will be hoping to avoid a seventh consecutive loss when they take on Nigeria. At their last outing, they fell to South Korea by a lone goal at the St. James Park, to add to a series of loss against Costa Rica, Bolivia, Venezuela, Oman and Iran earlier.