Chadian referee Alhadji Allaou Mahamat has been appointed to officiate Nigeria’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against Madagascar on Friday.
The Group D encounter is scheduled for September 25 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, with both the Super Eagles and Madagascar’s Barea aiming to begin their qualification campaign with a victory.
Nigeria will be looking to capitalise on home advantage, while Madagascar will hope to leave Uyo with a positive result.
The 40-year-old Mahamat is an experienced African official who has handled matches across several major CAF competitions, including the CAF Champions League, CAF Confederation Cup, Africa U-20 Cup of Nations and African Nations Championship.
The Chadian referee is also familiar with the Super Eagles, having officiated two of Nigeria’s matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
Mahamat was in charge when Nigeria hosted Rwanda in one of the qualifiers and also handled the Super Eagles’ away fixture against Lesotho in South Africa.
Nigeria emerged victorious in both matches, defeating Rwanda 1-0 before securing a 2-1 win over Lesotho.
Mahamat will be joined by the other members of his officiating team when he takes charge of Friday’s crucial encounter in Uyo.
With Nigeria beginning another AFCON qualification campaign, the Super Eagles will be seeking a strong start under head coach Eric Chelle as they look to secure a place at the 2027 tournament.
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