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The 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), which was hosted by Cote d’Ivoire, recently ended on a high note with the national team of the host country, the Elephants, winning the trophy over the Super Eagles of Nigeria in a match that took place at the Alhassan Outarra Stadium, Abidjan. By appearing at the finals, the Super Eagles made history as the third best team on the continent with the most AFCON final appearances (8), a record only bettered by Egypt and Ghana (10 and 9 respectively). Though the Super Eagles did not win the trophy, we consider finishing on the podium as a finalist a big achievement.
The 2023 AFCON featured some of the best football talents in Africa and the world of football, and it was one of the most watched sporting events in the world in 2024 so far. Unlike in other continents, where football superpowers usually dominated small teams, the 2023 AFCON showcased competitive matches that affirmed there are no longer minnows in African football. Teams like Equatorial Guinea and Cape Verde, whose pedigree in African football is not rated among the elites, created big upsets by beating highly fancied teams and topping their groups.
Two of the powerhouses of African football, Ghana and Algeria, failed to make it out of the group stage, while tournament favourites, like Senegal, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Cameroon, failed to advance beyond the second round and quarter final stage of the competition. While most of the top rated African teams were swept by the wayside, the Super Eagles soldiered on to the final stage, claiming victories over the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, the Palencia Negras of Angola and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.
The Super Eagles should be commended for the feat, considering that bookmakers did not rate them among the favourites before the commencement of the tournament. The Super Eagles were not also fancied to get to the final because of their poor run of form in which they drew with two lowly rated African teams, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, in the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches. They also lost to Guinea in their final warm-up match held in Abu Dhabi. Nigerian fans were also unsure of the chances of the Super Eagles due to the late injuries sustained by two of our top strikers, Victor Boniface of Bayern Leverkusen and Sadiq Umar of Real Sociedad. Many Nigerians also did not expect much from the team due to the inability of the national team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
We praise the coaching crew of the Super Eagles for steering the team to the AFCON finals with pragmatic tactical formations, though the crew’s defensive tactics failed to fly when it mattered most, as the Elephants claimed the bragging rights over their West African rivals. We commend President Bola Tinubu for hosting the team at the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Abuja, and rewarding the players and their handlers with mouth-watering incentives. The president’s gestures are expected to encourage the team to soar higher.
While the Super Eagles and their fans are still basking in the euphoria of their memorable outing at the 2023 AFCON, they should be reminded of the bigger task ahead – qualifying for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup. The fans should put behind the disappointment of not seeing their favourite team lift the AFCON trophy and rally round them to earn the sole qualification spot in their group.
Though football is a team sport, we must commend the individual award won by the team captain, William Trost-Ekong, who emerged the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament. The Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, deserves our commendation for his important saves which contributed to Nigeria’s run to the finals. His strides from obscurity are a pointer to the fact that Nigeria is a reservoir of talents waiting to be tapped. The entire Super Eagles team should be celebrated. Their wonderful performance has seen the team jump 14 places to become the 28th nation in the latest FIFA ranking and the third best team on the continent.
Football has, once again, proved to be a unifying force for the nation. Nigerians, in their numbers, from different parts of the country and the world, showed their patriotism by supporting and celebrating the progress of the team while the tournament lasted. This means that Nigerians can support the best. This spirit should be replicated in the election of outstanding leaders in the country based on merit to move the country forward.
