Super Eagles and AFCON 2025

AS the Super Eagles opened camp on Sunday, December 14, at the Renaissance Hotel, Cairo, Egypt, in preparation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, no fewer than 10 players registered their presence. They included Francis Uzoho, Stanley Nwabali, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Ebenezer Akinsanmiro. Others were Amas Obasogie, Semi Ajayi, Ademola Lookman, Igho Ogbu, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Tochukwu Nnadi. By Monday, the camp was bubbling with players. The Super Eagles are scheduled to arrive in Fés, Morocco, on Thursday, December 18, following their warm-up match against the Pharaohs of Egypt at the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday, December 16. Drawn in Group C, the three-time African champions will face the Taifa Stars of Tanzania on Tuesday, December 23, then square up against the hosts, the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia, on Saturday, December 27, before facing the Cranes of Uganda in their final group game on Tuesday, December 30.

The Super Eagles have a 28-man squad led by former African Footballer of the Year winners, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, with a mix of experienced players and fresh talent. In a bid to inject fresh talent, Coach Eric Chelle, the Malian tactician whose appointment many analysts found curious because of his rather unimpressive resume, called up five new players, namely Tochukwu Nnadi, Salim Fago, Ryan Alebiosu, Usman Muhammed and Ebenezer Akinsanmiro. And he has his target set out very clearly. According to the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, Chelle has an ultimatum to guide the team to the final of the AFCON in Morocco, or the experiment would be considered a failure. The Eagles, who last ruled Africa after defeating the Les Etalons (The Stallions) of Burkina Faso to lift the continental crown in 2013, recorded their best performance since their third AFCON win during the 2023 finals in Cote d’Ivoire, where they emerged runners-up after a disappointing 1-2 loss to the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire. Rather scandalously, they had exited the 2021 AFCON following a 0-1 loss to Tunisia in the round of 16, even after showing early promise during the group stage.

The Eagles are of course going into the tournament riding on the respect earned over the years. As recently indicated by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Super Eagles have won a record eight bronze medals at the continental showpiece and have also won five silver medals, a record they share with their long-time West African rivals, the Black Stars of Ghana. But even though CAF is correct in its analysis, it is important to recognise that things are not looking very bright for the Nigerian team at the moment. The Eagles’ failure to make the 2026 World Cup after similarly missing out on the 2022 edition dashed the hopes of many Nigerians and laid bare the need for a reinvented squad. Among other developments, captain William Troost-Ekong, who had received a lot of backlash following lacklustre performances, called it quits with the national team while the new defence sensation, Benjamin Fredricks, was ruled out of the AFCON due to an injury. Chelle, a former Mali coach, will have to lift his game on a very massive level.

For many soccer-loving Nigerians, missing out on the 2026 World Cup is still a bitter pill to swallow, and the Eagles having narrowly lost the 2023 AFCON final must bring the cup home this time around. This, they aver, is the only form of compensation that would be adequate. This looks like a very ambitious goal, but it is within the legitimate rights of Nigerian football. Although they have won only three AFCON titles in their history, the Super Eagles have the unique distinction of being the African team to have received the highest ever ranking in world football, having been ranked the fifth best national side in 1994 during the golden era of players like Stephen Keshi, Rashidi Yekini, Austin Okocha and Peter Rufai. Rightly, in our view, Nigerians always expect the Super Eagles to attain this height once again and restore the pride and integrity of Nigerian football.

As the Eagles begin yet another AFCON campaign, we urge them to give their best to the nation. The Eagles’ jersey has a lot of history and fond memories behind it, both in Africa and outside the continent. Around the world, many people still remember players like Okocha, Yekini, Keshi, Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Amuneke, Victor Ikpeba, Nwankwo Kanu and Vincent Enyeama with awe. The fact is that even though these players were talented, they also had an unbeatable work ethic that enabled them to give the world something to always remember. Going into the 2025 AFCON, then, the Super Eagles must work hard. They must approach each match like a final. The debutants, in particular, must justify their inclusion in the team. If they are focused and determined, they can shine like Sunday Mba did at the 2013 AFCON.

In the same vein, we urge the NFF to give the team and its coaching crew all that they need to excel. There should be no row over bonuses, and no logistic hassles. Football is one of those things that give Nigerians joy even in the face of governmental failures. With AFCON 2025, there is a lot at stake and Nigerians will not tolerate excuses. We wish the Eagles a great outing in Morocco.

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