2022 WCQ: Nigeria to face Ghana for a place in Qatar

The playoff draws for the FIFA 2022 World Cup- Africa section- took place on Saturday in Cameroon, with the Super Eagles set to battle their West African rivals

Nigeria’s Super Eagles will face their arch-rivals Ghana in the playoffs of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, African section.

The draws, which took place in Cameroon on Saturday, pitted the two West African giants against each other after both finished top of their groups in the second round.

The clash between the two sides is one of the oldest and fiercest rivalries in international football. The latest encounter will not be different, with fireworks expected across the two legs.

Aside from the rivalry on the pitch, both countries have also battled each other over who has the best jollof rice in the world; hence this could also be called the ‘Jollof Derby’.

The Black Stars hold the advantage in the head-to-head, with 21 wins to Nigeria’s 10, while 18 matches between the two sides have ended in a draw.

However, Nigeria will head into the game as the favourites going by the performances of the two sides at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.

The Super Eagles are on course for a fourth AFCON title, while Ghana could not make it out of a group that had Comoros and Gabon.

The two games will take place between March 24-29, with Ghana hosting the first leg in Accra before the return leg in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, there are also some heavyweight clashes in the other fixtures. Cameroon, the African country with the most appearances at the World Cup (7), have been pitted against Algeria.

The Democratic Republic of Congo will take on Morocco while Mali will battle Tunisia in a repeat of their AFCON 2021 clash.

The last fixture will Senegal take on Egypt, which means one of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah will not play in Qatar.

The winners of these five fixtures will represent Africa at the 2022 World Cup.