Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles have been handed a second-round clash with DR Congo in the race to qualify for the 2027 CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, with the tie also serving as part of Africa’s route to the 2028 Olympic Games, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
The first round of the qualifying series was completed on Tuesday, October 6, with 14 teams securing their places in the next stage. They will now join 14 nations that received byes into the second round based on their previous performances in the competition.
Egypt, who will host the 2027 U-23 AFCON, have already secured an automatic place at the finals, leaving seven qualification spots to be decided through the three-round qualifying process.
The second-round first legs are scheduled for November 9, while the return fixtures will be played on November 17.
Second-Round Fixtures
November 9, First Legs
- Zambia vs Burkina Faso
- Nigeria vs DR Congo
- Niger vs Equatorial Guinea
- Ghana vs Libya
- Gabon vs Tunisia
- Côte d’Ivoire vs Kenya
- Senegal vs Djibouti
- Morocco vs Ethiopia
- Cameroon vs Rwanda
- South Africa vs Madagascar
- Congo vs Angola
- Guinea vs Botswana
- Algeria vs Eswatini
- Mali vs Zimbabwe
November 17, Return Legs
- Burkina Faso vs Zambia
- DR Congo vs Nigeria
- Equatorial Guinea vs Niger
- Libya vs Ghana
- Tunisia vs Gabon
- Kenya vs Côte d’Ivoire
- Djibouti vs Senegal
- Ethiopia vs Morocco
- Rwanda vs Cameroon
- Madagascar vs South Africa
- Angola vs Congo
- Botswana vs Guinea
- Eswatini vs Algeria
- Zimbabwe vs Mali
Nigeria enter the competition at this stage and will face DR Congo over two legs.
DR Congo booked their place in the second round after recovering from a 1-0 first-leg defeat to Mauritania. The Congolese side won the return match 2-0 in Lubumbashi to overturn the deficit and advance 2-1 on aggregate.
The Olympic Eagles will therefore begin their campaign against a DR Congo side that has already shown its ability to recover from a difficult position in the qualifiers.
Nigeria will need to navigate the two-legged tie successfully to reach the final qualifying round, where seven decisive fixtures will determine the teams joining hosts Egypt at the 2027 U-23 AFCON.
The final qualifying round is scheduled for March 22 and March 30, 2027, with the seven aggregate winners securing their places at the tournament in Egypt.
The 2027 U-23 AFCON will have added importance because it forms Africa’s qualification pathway to the men’s football tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
For Nigeria, the immediate task is clear: overcome DR Congo in November and move one step closer to returning to the continental U-23 finals and securing another opportunity to compete for Olympic qualification.