An interesting flier on social media with a giant eagle representing the Super Eagles of Nigeria with the caption “Tenant go comot landlord” (literally, Nigeria, the tenant, would eliminate Morocco, the host and the landlord) does not do enough justice to the hunger, fervour, euphoria, and vavavoom awaiting tonight’s second AFCON 2025 semifinal game between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Atlas Lions of Morocco.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria would throw down the gauntlet to the Atlas Lions of Morocco in the second and final semi-final match of the African Cup of Nations 2025. This evening’s encounter promises to be cagy and feisty, as each team will unleash the full war chest of technical and tactical armour to book their place in Sunday’s finals. Both teams are under pressure to win for different reasons
The Super Eagles of Nigeria , making their 20th appearance in the African Cup of Nations, seek to conquer Morocco and whoever they would face in the final between Egypt and Senegal to win their 4th continental title. Winning this AFCON would be a great consolation for Africa’s most populous nation, who have already missed out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup slated for June 11 to July 19 in the US, Mexico and Canada. Nigeria advanced to the AFCON playoff competition to earn a spot as Africa’s sole representative in the intercontinental playoffs, a position that they ceded to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final eliminator of that series.
The Atlas Lions of Morocco, making their 20th AFCON appearance, are hoping to continue in their purple patch that was birthed when they made history at the 2022 World Cup by being the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup. Morocco’s World Cup semi-final. This unique record came on the back of a deliberate, revolutionary investment in football.
Morocco’s revolutionary investment in football began in 2007, when King Mohammed VI initiated a long-term plan to reshape national football, which included the establishment of the state-backed Mohammed VI Football Academy in 2009. This systematic, long-term strategy is widely considered the foundation of their recent international success, which opened the door unto many other achievements, including the FIFA U-20 World Cup (the second ever African nation to do so after Ghana in 2009).
- February 4, 2018: Morocco won 4-0 in the CHAN final.
- January 25, 2014: Nigeria won 4-3 after extra time in the CHAN quarterfinal.
- January 27, 2004: Morocco won 1-0 in an AFCON group stage match.Â
- Their only previous AFCON semi-final clash was in 1980, which Nigeria won 1-0 to advance to their first title.
- Morocco defeated Nigeria twice in 1976 on their way to their only AFCON title.
- Nigeria won a group stage match 2-0 in 2000.Â