By Nurudeen Obalola
The Super Eagles B team are up against bitter rivals Ghana for a spot in the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
The home-based Nigerian side were drawn against the Ghanaians on Wednesday for the tournament reserved for players featuring in their domestic leagues.
The Super Eagles will be gunning for revenge after Ghana prevented them from reaching the 2022 edition, with the Black Stars advancing via a penalty shoot-out following a 2-2 draw on aggregate.
Nigeria last qualified for the tournament in 2018, when they reached the final but lost to hosts Morocco.
In the other West African Zone B second round pairings from Wednesday’s draw, Cote d’Ivoire will face Burkina Faso, while Niger Republic await the winners of the first round tie between Benin Republic and Togo.
The first round tie between Benin and Togo will be played between October 25 and November 3, while the second round ties are scheduled for between December 20 and December 29.
In West Africa Zone A, Sierra Leone will battle Liberia in the first round, with the winners facing champions Senegal in the second round.
Mauritania will play Mali, and Guinea will be up against Guinea-Bissau in the other second round ties.
The 2025 CHAN tournament will be jointly hosted by East African trio Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from February 1 to February 28, with 19 teams set to participate.
