Nigeria Named Among 44 Nations for 2027 U-23 AFCON Qualifiers

Posted : 25 August 2026

Nigeria have been included among the nations expected to compete in the qualifying campaign for the 2027 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations, with the country targeting a return to the continental finals and another Olympic qualification push. Reports indicate that 44 nations are involved in the qualifying field, although CAF has yet to publish a full official list or the draw details.

The 2027 U-23 AFCON will be staged in Egypt and will also serve as Africa’s qualifying tournament for the men’s football event at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. CAF confirmed Egypt as the host of the U-23 competition as part of its allocation of the 2027 youth tournaments.

Nigeria have a strong record in the competition. The country won the inaugural U-23 AFCON title in 2015 and have made three previous appearances at the finals, including the 2011, 2015 and 2019 editions. However, the Dream Team failed to qualify for the 2023 tournament in Morocco.

The upcoming campaign therefore gives Nigeria an opportunity to return to the continental stage and compete for another route to the Olympics. The U-23 AFCON has traditionally been closely linked with Olympic qualification, making the campaign important for Nigeria’s next generation of players.

Several of Africa’s established football nations are also expected to contest the qualifiers. Algeria, Angola, Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia are among the countries named alongside Nigeria in the reported field. Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe are also listed.

CAF has not yet released the qualifying draw or confirmed the fixtures in its publicly available competition information. The governing body’s 2026 competition calendar does, however, list U-23 AFCON qualifiers during the year, while recent preparations by countries such as South Africa and Benin show that teams are already planning for the qualifying campaign.

Nigeria’s preparations will be closely watched as the country looks to build a competitive squad from its emerging players. A successful qualifying campaign would put the Dream Team in contention for the 2027 finals in Egypt and, from there, a place at the 2028 Olympic Games.

The U-23 AFCON remains an important development platform for African football. For Nigeria, qualification would also offer another generation of players the chance to follow the country’s Olympic tradition and compete at the highest youth level on the continent.

Nigeria Named Among 44 Nations for 2027 U-23 AFCON Qualifiers

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