Nigeria’s focus stays on Ivory Coast 2023 as CAF announces kick-off date for 2025 AFCON qualifiers

All eyes are on the 34th edition of the continental championships, which commences in a few days in the land of the Elephants

In the midst of anticipation for the 2023 African Cup of Nations, the Confederation of African Football, CAF, has made a decisive move, revealing the kick-off date for the qualifiers of the 2025 edition, Soccernet.ng reports.

Scheduled to take place from January 13th to February 11th, 2024, in Ivory Coast, the 2023 AFCON has yet to unfold.

However, CAF is already setting the stage for the next edition of the tournament after announcing that the preliminary round of the 2025 qualifiers will begin on March 18th concluding on March 26th.

Breaking down the subsequent phases, CAF states that the first and second rounds of matches will unfold from September 2nd to 10th, followed by the 3rd to 4th round of games spanning from 7th to 15th of the same month.

The crescendo of the qualifiers is slated for November 11th to 19th, 2024, marking the final rounds of matches.

Morocco will host the 2025 AFCON after Guinea was stripped of its hosting rights.

Nigeria’s immediate focus, however, is on the AFCON in January, where the Super Eagles have the task of navigating through a Group A that also has hosts Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau.

The Super Eagles are hunting for a fourth continental crown and their first since 2013.