Ex-Nigeria star Troost-Ekong compares Super Eagles group with Ghana and Ivory Coast pool

Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong believes the qualification group involving Ghana and Ivory Coast could prove more difficult than the one facing Nigeria in the race to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Confederation of African Football held the AFCON qualifying draw in Cairo on Tuesday, placing Nigeria in Group L alongside Madagascar, Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau.

Ghana, meanwhile, landed in Group C with Ivory Coast, Gambia and Somalia in what many fans already see as one of the most competitive groups in the qualifiers.

Nigeria’s situation is slightly different because Tanzania are one of the tournament co-hosts and have already secured automatic qualification. That means only the highest-ranked side outside Tanzania will claim the remaining qualification ticket from Group L.

Group C offers no such scenario. Both Ghana and Ivory Coast must battle for qualification places, with the top two teams progressing to the tournament. With Gambia no pushovers, the Black Stars and the Elephants may be in for tricky ties.

Speaking after the draw, Troost-Ekong admitted he is already looking forward to watching how the group involving Ghana and Ivory Coast develops over the coming months.

“I’m really excited now to see the draw for the qualification groups,” Troost-Ekong said as per SportWorldGhana.

“I think for Nigeria, we have seen some teams that we have faced many times before, like Tanzania, Madagascar, and Guinea-Bissau.

“But also, I think we have some tough groups. I’m looking forward to seeing how Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana do against Gambia and Somalia. Overall, I think it’s going to be exciting and a great run-up to the tournament in 2027.”

Nigeria and Ghana head into qualifiers with different recent AFCON records

The Super Eagles will enter the qualifiers with confidence after their recent performances at AFCON tournaments.

Nigeria reached the final of AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast before losing 2-1 to the hosts. The team also finished third at AFCON 2019 and 2025 editions and reached the Round of 16 at the 2021 edition after winning all three group matches.

Ghana’s recent AFCON history has been far more disappointing. The Black Stars suffered back-to-back group-stage eliminations at AFCON 2021 and AFCON 2023, failing to win a single match across those tournaments.

At AFCON 2023, Ghana lost 2-1 to Cape Verde before drawing against Egypt and Mozambique, results that eventually led to the departure of coach Chris Hughton.

The qualification campaign for AFCON 2027 will begin during the September 2026 international window. Matchdays one and two are scheduled between September 21 and October 6, while the remaining fixtures will continue in November 2026 and March 2027.