EAGLES, BLACK STARS RENEW RIVALRY IN WAFU NATIONS CUP

ABUJA, Nigeria – All is now set for the WAFU Cup of Nations tournament for senior national teams in the sub –region after the Draw Ceremony for the tournament scheduled for September took place at the Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra on Thursday.

The competition has been scheduled for September 9 -24, and teams are expected to feature wholly home –based professionals.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been drawn in Group A alongside host nation Ghana, with Mali and Guinea also involved in a unique format that will see teams play single games before proceeding to the quarter finals.
Ghana and Nigeria have seven African titles between them, with the Super Eagles and the Black Stars featuring in the last two FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa (2010) and Brazil (2014).

All the teams in Group A will play in Takoradi, the twin city of Sekondi that also hosted matches during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. Other teams in Group A are The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Mauritania and Guinea Bissau.

The Super Eagles are drawn to play Sierra Leone. Group B will compete in Cape Coast. 2015 African champions Cote d’Ivoire headline the pool that also has Senegal, Burkina Faso and Benin Republic, with Liberia, Niger Republic, Togo and Cape Verde also involved. NFF’s Director of Competitions, Ayobola Oyeyode, represented Nigeria at the Draw Ceremony.

THE DRAW
GROUP A
Ghana Vs The Gambia
Nigeria Vs Sierra Leone
Mali Vs Mauritania
Guinea Vs Guinea Bissau

GROUP B
Senegal Vs Liberia
Burkina Faso Vs Niger Republic
Cote d’Ivoire Vs Togo
Benin Republic Vs Cape Verde