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Nigeria’s Super Eagles will vie for glory in the 2025 African Cup of Nations alongside 23 other African teams in Morocco. The 24 qualified teams are divided into six groups, comprising Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros; Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe; Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania; Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, Botswana; Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan; Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, and Mozambique. The tournament kicks off on December 21 between the host country, Morocco and Comoros at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat and ends on January 18, 2026.
The tournament will be played between 21 December, 2025 and 18 January, 2026, making it the first time the tournament will be played over the Christmas and New Year season. The date was also informed by the addition of two extra match days scheduled for the last two weeks of January in the expanded 2025-25 UEFA Champions League season. This timing will avoid a scheduling conflict with European club teams and competitions, where a good number of African players feature.
Top African footballers have indicated interest to play in the 2025 AFCON in Morocco to show the beauty and strength of African football. Africans and fans of African football are expected to be entertained by the best of African football all through Christmas and the New Year period. The Atlas Lions of Morocco has been tipped to win the tournament as the highest ranked African team at 11th position. However, the Moroccan national team has not won the trophy since 1976. Morocco’s high rating may be because of its impressive semi final appearance at the last FIFA World Cup. The Taranga Lions of Senegal and the defending Champions, the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire, are also tipped for glory by soccer pundits.
The Super Eagles’ rating in Africa has recently plummeted following the team’s disastrous World Cup qualifying campaign, which saw it finishing second to South Africa in their group and failing to advance to the Mundial after losing to DR Congo’s national team in a penalty shootout at the final of the African World Cup Qualifying Playoffs held in Morocco recently. Nevertheless, Nigerian football fans and teeming supporters of the Super Eagles are optimistic that the team will do well in Morocco. Although most football pundits underrated the team at the last AFCON tournament in Cote d’Ivoire, the Super Eagles surprised them by reaching the final, where it was narrowly defeated by the host country. With hard work and perseverance, the team can win the 2025 AFCON.
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The new Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle, should ensure that the team wins the 2025 AFCON, having failed to qualify the team for the 2026 World Cup in United States, Mexico and Canada. However, it is worth mentioning that Chelle joined the team when it was too late to make much impact. He did his best in the situation he found himself. His winning the trophy will bring succour to the team and the fans. Those in charge of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) should allow the coach to select the team. Let merit count over federal character politics. Let our best eleven represent us in Morocco. The Super Eagles is perhaps the only African team with two past winners of African Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman. The team also has the most lethal frontline in African football.
We implore the NFF officials to give the team and the coaching crew the needed support to excel in Morocco. The team’s participation at the recent African World Cup Playoffs was almost marred by complaints over unpaid bonus arrears. NFF should do better. The players who left their comfort zones to play for the team should be compensated with their match bonuses.
The current Super Eagles players have often been criticised as underachievers, despite having some of the greatest Nigerian soccer exports in history. The 2025 AFCON is the best opportunity to demonstrate to Nigerians that they have talents. Nigeria is in dire need of a fourth AFCON trophy. The Super Eagles had won the trophy in 1980 as the host, 1994 in Tunisia, and in 2013 in South Africa. They can win it again. The Super Eagles players have a chance to write their names in gold by bringing the AFCON trophy home. The Super Eagles should play as a team with great sense of mission and resilience.
