The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, as Nigeria’s home ground for the next Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game.
The full list of stadiums that was released on Monday, had 48 countries represented, with CAF clearly stating that the list was only intended for matchday 5.
The African football governing body’s announcement comes as disappointing news for Nigeria, as the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja is deemed unfit to host the qualifiers – leaving the continent’s most populous nation with just one standard ground.
However, due to Nigeria having to travel to Sierra Leone for the AFCON qualifiers on June 18, the Godswill Akpabio Stadium will not be in use as a result of CAF’s guidelines.
The Moshood Abiola National Stadium was last used by the Super Eagles in March, when they lost 1-0 to the Djurtus of Guinea-Bissau.
Jose Peseiro’s side currently top Group A with nine points from four games, and a draw against the Leone Stars will be enough to book a ticket for the tournament in Ivory Coast in January 2024.
