Former Nigeria international Emmanuel Akwuegbu has sounded a warning to Eric Chelle and the Super Eagles ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, saying the improvement shown by African nations at the 2026 World Cup has raised the bar for what it will take to win the continental title, Footynaija.com reports.
The tournament, jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, will be the first AFCON staged by three East African nations simultaneously, a landmark edition already generating excitement across the continent.
For Akwuegbu, the story of the 2026 World Cup is that several nations once considered easy opponents are no longer that. Nine of Africa’s ten representatives at the World Cup advanced from the group stage, with Morocco, Senegal, DR Congo and others going deep into the knockout rounds.
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Cape Verde, appearing at only their second World Cup, held Spain to a goalless draw in the group stage before bowing out. Akwuegbu pointed to that kind of performance as evidence of a continent catching up with itself.
“The next AFCON will be much more difficult because African football has improved tremendously. What we saw from African countries at the World Cup is proof that many teams are now capable of competing at the highest level,” he told Sports247.
He singled out Cape Verde as one of the sides capable of disrupting traditional hierarchies at the next tournament.
“Countries like Cape Verde have shown what they can do. They surprised many people at the World Cup, and I believe they will be one of the teams to watch at the AFCON,” Akwuegbu added.
Nigeria open their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September, drawn in a group alongside Madagascar, Tanzania, one of the host nations, and Guinea-Bissau. Chelle’s side are expected to qualify, but Akwuegbu’s message is a timely one. Getting to the tournament and winning it are increasingly different conversations.
