The Super Eagles of Nigeria were paired in Group A of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), alongside Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and hosts Ivory Coast. In this article, we'll provide all the information about their AFCON campaign.
Super Eagles 2023 AFCON schedule
It's worth mentioning that the Nigeria Super Eagles will play all their three group games in Abidjan. Their first two matches will take place at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium, while they'll square off against Guinea-Bissau at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in their final group game.
- January 14, 3 pm: Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea, Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium
- January 18, 6 pm: Ivory Coast vs Nigeria, Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium
- January 22, 6 pm: Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria, Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny
How did the Super Eagles qualify for the 2023 AFCON?
The interesting thing about the Super Eagles' 2023 AFCON qualifying campaign is that they were paired in the same group with Guinea-Bissau, one of their opponents in Group A. Jose Peseiro‘s troops had a near-perfect record in their qualifying games, winning five of six matches.
However, it's important to note that their only loss came at the hands of Guinea-Bissau, who finished in second place, accumulating 13 points from a possible 18. The Super Eagles are in a tough group; they'll need all the points they can get, so teams like Guinea-Bissau should not be underestimated. These are Nigeria's results in the qualifying rounds:
- Nigeria 2-1 Sierra Leone (09/06/22)
- Sao Tome and Principe 0-10 Nigeria (13/06/22)
- Nigeria 0-1 Guinea-Bissau (24/03/23)
- Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Nigeria (27/03/23)
- Sierra Leone 2-3 Nigeria (18/06/23)
- Nigeria 6-0 Sao Tome and Principe (10/09/23)
How have the Super Eagles fared in previous AFCON editions?
It may interest you to know that the Super Eagles have been one of the most successful teams in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations. They have three AFCON titles to their name, which they won in 1980, 1994 and 2013. As it stands, this will be Nigeria's 20th appearance in this tournament.
Also, the Super Eagles have one of the most star-studded teams in Africa, with players like Victor Osimhen (current best player in Africa), Victor Boniface and Kelechi Iheanacho expected to cause some problems for opposition defenses.
Super Eagles 2023 AFCON provisional squad
There have been some concerns about the Super Eagles' provisional squad for the 2023 AFCON. This is because all the outfield players ply their trade with teams across Europe. No outfield players were selected from Nigeria's top flight, the NPFL. Interestingly, three of six selected goalkeepers play in the Nigerian Professional Football League.
Jose Peseiro 🇵🇹
Nigeria 🇳🇬 Super 🦅 Eagles 🇳🇬 provisional squad list for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. pic.twitter.com/AdCrWRBhUQ
— Eric NDAGIJIMANA®️ (@EricNdagije250) December 18, 2023
Goalkeepers
Francis Uzoho: Omonia Nicosia, Cyprus
Adebayo Adeleye: Hapoel Katamon, Israel
Ojo Olorunleke: Enyimba, Nigeria
Stanley Nwabali: Chippa United, South Africa
Amas Obasogie: Bendel Insurance, Nigeria
Christian Nwoke: Sporting Lagos, Nigeria
Defenders
Ola Aina: Nottingham Forest, England
Bright Osayi-Samuel: Fenerbahce, Turkey
Tyronne Ebuehi: Empoli, Italy
Jamilu Collins: Cardiff, Wales
Zaidu Sanusi: FC Porto, Portugal
Bruno Onyemaechi: Boavista, Portugal
William Troost-Ekong: PAOK, Greece
Semi Ajayi: West Bromwich Albion, England
Calvin Bassey: Fulham, England
Kenneth Omeruo: Kasimpasa, Turkey
Kevin Akpoguma: TSG Hoffenheim, Germany
Chidozie Awaziem: Boavista, Portugal
Jordan Torunarigha: Gent, Belgium
Midfielders
Wilfred Ndidi: Leicester City, England
Frank Onyeka: Brentford, England
Joe Aribo: Southampton, England
Alex Iwobi: Fulham, England
Alhassan Yusuf: Royal Antwerp, Belgium
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru: Hatayspor, Turkey
Raphael Onyedika: Club Brugge, Belgium
Kelechi Nwakali: Chaves, Portugal
Attackers
Victor Osimhen: Napoli, Italy
Victor Boniface: Bayer Leverkusen, Germany
Terem Moffi: Nice, France
Umar Sadiq: Real Sociedad, Spain
Ahmed Musa: Sivasspor, Turkey
Paul Onuachu: Trabzonspor, Turkey
Cyriel Dessers: Glasgow Rangers, Scotland
Ademola Lookman: Atalanta, Italy
Nathan Tella: Bayer Leverkusen, Germany
Moses Simon: Nantes, France
Samuel Chukwueze: AC Milan, Italy
Kelechi Iheanacho: Leicester City, England
Emmanuel Dennis: Istanbul Basaksehir, Turkey
Where to watch the Super Eagles at the 2023 AFCON
For starters, the Nigeria Super Eagles' matches will be available on Supersport for fans who reside in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and Kenya. Also, fans in North African countries can catch all the action live on BeIN Sports.
It's also important to note that CAF's official YouTube channel will stream most of the matches live. However, this option may not be available for those who live in the United States, Canada or Australia. Also, there may be some late broadcast deals, and we'll keep you updated when we have more info.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
