Nigeria's Super Eagles will kick off their Africa Cup of Nations campaign on the 14th of January 2024. In this article, we'll talk about their AFCON 2023 fixtures, as well as their group opponents.
Super Eagles AFCON 2023 fixtures
It's important to note that the Super Eagles were drawn in Group A, where they'll face hosts Ivory Coast, as well as Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea. This is what their schedule looks like:
- Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea – 14/01/2024, 3pm (Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium)
- Ivory Coast vs Nigeria – 18/01/2024, 6pm (Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium)
- Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria – 22/01/2024, 6pm (Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny)
We would like to point out that all of Nigeria's group matches will be played in Abidjan. On that note, here's how the Super Eagles matched up with their group opponents in recent years:
Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea have proven they are a force to be reckoned with these past few months. Note that in the previous edition of this tournament, they defeated defending champions Algeria in the group stages, and went as far as the quarter-finals where they lost to eventual champions Senegal.
That said, Juan Micha's troops have shown that their impressive run at the previous AFCON event wasn't a fluke. They've lost just once across all competitions since the end of that tournament. As a matter of fact, Equatorial Guinea are currently on a nine-match unbeaten run, with six wins and three draws.
The last time the Super Eagles clashed with Equatorial Guinea was in 2008, when both teams were paired in the same 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying group. Although Nigeria won both legs of that tie, Equatorial Guinea have improved a lot since then. Jose Peseiro's men will do well to not underestimate this squad.
Nigeria vs Ivory Coast
It may interest you to know that Nigeria and Ivory Coast have both won an AFCON title in the past decade. The Super Eagles won the title in 2013, while their Ivorian opponents emerged victorious two years later.
As it stands, these teams have had their fair share of success at this competition. While Nigeria have three AFCON titles to their name, Ivory Coast won Africa's most prestigious competition on two occasions.
If we're excluding African Nations Championships (CHAN) games, these teams squared off against each other 25 times in the past. The Super Eagles won seven of those clashes, Ivory Coast came out on top eight times, and there are 10 draws between them.
The last time these teams met in a competition fixture was at the 2013 event, where Nigeria defeated Ivory Coast en route to the title. In fact, every single time the Super Eagles won an AFCON title (1980, 1994 and 2013), they faced Ivory Coast. Bearing that in mind, it'll be interesting to see how these teams match-up against each other.
Nigeria vs Guinea-Bissau
You really don't need to look too far in order to find the last time Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau met. In the last 24 months, these teams have faced each other three times; and those encounters were either at the AFCON, or the AFCON qualifiers.
Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau were paired in the same group at the previous edition of this competition. The Super Eagles had a perfect record in that group, defeating Egypt, Guinea-Bissau and Sudan.
Coincidentally, Peseiro's troops were also drawn in Group A of the qualifying rounds for this tournament; and they met twice in March 2023. While Guinea-Bissau defeated Nigeria on the road, they lost to the Super Eagles at home three days later. Baciro Cande's side will have the opportunity to avenge that loss when these teams meet in their final group match.
This article was most recently revised and updated 9 months ago
