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Nigeria vs Madagascar - Super Eagles need strong start in AFCON 2027 race
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- Sep 25, 2026, 1:06 PM UTC
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Nigeria national football team
Football team in Nigeria
The Nigeria national football team represents Nigeria in international men's football. Governed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), they are three-time Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winners, with their most recent title in 2013. In February 2024, the Nigerian national football team was ranked 28th in the FIFA rankings. The team has qualified for six of the last nine FIFA World Cups, missing only the 2006, 2022 and 2026 tournaments. They have reached the round of 16 on three occasions. Their first World Cup appearance was in the 1994 edition.
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Madagascar
African island country in the Indian Ocean
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country in the Indian Ocean that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's fourth-largest island, the second-largest island country, and the 46th-largest country overall. Its capital and largest city is Antananarivo.
More on Wikipedia ↗Africa Cup of Nations
Football tournament
The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON in English and CAN in French, and currently known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been held every two years, switching to odd-numbered years in 2013. The competition is expected to revert to even-numbered years and become a quadrennial event, taking place in leap years from 2028.
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