Ahead of the 2023 African Cup of Nations which is set to take place in Cote d’Ivoire,the Super Eagles of Nigeria have been seeded in Pot 2 with Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Cong DR.
With the latest FIFA ranking and with host Cote d’Ivoire ranked 9th on the continent, Nigeria was placed in Pot 2 ahead of the draw as the host nation must be in Pot 1.
With the seeding completed on Thursday, Jose Peseiro’s men could face familiar foes like hosts Cote d’Ivoire, holders Teranga Lions of Senegal, Atlas Lions of Morocco, Carthage Eagles of Tunisia and Pharaohs of Egypt in the group stage.
With the current crop of centre-forwards at the disposal of Peseiro, football enthusiast are optimistic that Nigeria can compete for the top prize with the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations fast approaching.
Victor Osimhen is the poster-boy for Nigerian football right now, Osimhen scored 26 league goals to win the Capocannoniere award as Serie A’s leading scorer becoming the first African to achieve such feat in the 125-year-old history of the competition.
No player has been involved in more Premier League since the start of May, the Super Eagles forward Taiwo Awoniyi (11), Taiwo Awoniyi, scored in his final four games of 2022/23 and continued the streak in his first three in 2023/24.
Another Nigerian wonderkid Gift Orban, the 21-year-old turned heads with the fastest hat-trick in UEFA competition history, scoring 26 goals in 29 games in his Genk career so far.
Victor Boniface signed for Bayer Leverkusen for an initial €20m from Union Saint-Giloise, and it already looks like a bargain. He finished as joint-top scorer alongside Marcus Rashford during the 2022/23 Europa League season and has already been involved in nine goals in six game in all competition this season (6 goals, 3 Assists).
The Nigerian team since making their debut in the 1963 edition of AFCON hosted by Ghana, have won the tournament three times.
The Super Eagles hosted and won their first AFCON during the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations in Lagos with Segun Odegbami clinching the top scorer spot with three goals, and Captain Christian Chukwu winning the best player of the tournament.
The draw will be held on October 12 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, while the competition will run from January 13 to February 11, 2024.
THE DIFFERENT POTS
Pot 1: Cote d’Ivoire, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt
Pot 2: Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Cong DR
Pot 3: South Africa, Cape Verde, Guinea, Zambia, Equitorial Guinea, Mauritania
Pot 4: Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Gambia, Tanzania
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