{
  "id": 3401747,
  "title": "Olympic Eagles get U-23 AFCON qualifiers foes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/olympic-eagles-get-u-23-afcon-qualifiers-foes",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-26T02:16:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/olympic-eagles-get-u-23-afcon-qualifiers-foes/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Nigeria's Olympic Eagles have received a bye into the second round of the 2027 U-23 AFCON qualifiers. They will face the winner of the tie between Mauritania and DR Congo.\n\nThe draw for the qualifiers was conducted at the CAF headquarters and posted on their social media handle. A total of 14 two-legged ties make up the first round, with the first legs scheduled for September 28, 2026, and the return legs on October 6, 2026.\n\nThe winners of the first-round ties will advance to the second round, where they will face higher-ranked or seeded teams, including Nigeria, who will play the winner of the Mauritania/DR Congo tie.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "FULL LIST: CAF unveils draw for 2027 U-23 AFCON qualifiers",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/full-list-caf-unveils-draw-for-2027-u-23-afcon-qualifiers",
        "published": "2026-08-25T18:24:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Post Nigeria",
        "title": "2026 PFA Awards: EPL, Championship Team of the Year confirmed [Full list]",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/2026-pfa-awards-epl-championship-team-of-the-year-confirmed-full-list",
        "published": "2026-08-25T20:41:45.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}