* It is the second in an AfCON semifinal and overall, their 12th meeting, with Morocco holding the upper hand with six wins to Nigeria’s three, with two draws
* Four of their previous five AfCON meetings came in the group stages in 1976 (two games), 2000 and 2004
* They first met in 1976 in the group stages saw Morocco winning both matches 3-1 and 2-1 on their way to their first and only title
Maravi Express
Africa’s single-biggest event, the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) Morocco 2025 enters its most exciting phase on Wednesday, January 14 as four of the continent’s powerhouses face each other in the semifinals.
Record 7-time African champions Egypt date 2021 winners Senegal at Grand Stade de Tanger in Tangier (18h00), as hosts and 1976 winners Morocco face 2013 champions Nigeria Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat (21h00).
Nigeria are bidding for a 4th AfCON title while the hosts Morocco are searching for their first trophy win since 1976 — and they meet at the AfCON for the 6th time, with all five previous meetings producing a winner.
Both teams are undefeated at this edition with Nigeria winning all five of their games, while Morocco have recorded four wins and a draw and this is their first meeting in 22 years at AfCON and the second time they face each other in a semifinal.
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Four of their previous five AfCON meetings came in the group stages in 1976 (two games), 2000 and 2004. They first met in 1976 in the group stages that Morocco winning both matches 3-1 and 2-1 on their way to their first and only title.
Nigeria won the previous clash in the semifinals in 1980, triumphing 1-0 with Felix Owolabi scoring the winner in the 9th minute en route to their first title — and they met again in 2000 when Nigeria eliminated Morocco in their final Group D game with a 2-0 victory, scored by Finidi George and Julius Aghahowa.
Their last AfCON meeting came in the group stages in 2004, when Morocco won 1-0 in their opening Group D match, Youssef Hadji scoring the only goal in the 77th minute.
Nigeria have faced the host or co-host nation on 10 previous occasions, with their record against hosts reading P10 W3 D3 L4. The Super Eagles meet AfCON hosts for a second tournament in a row, having faced Côte d’Ivoire in the group stages and the final in 2023, winning 1-0 in the group stage and losing 1-2 in the final.
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Nigeria also defeated tournament hosts in 2002, winning the third-place match against Mali 1-0, and recorded a group-stage win over Senegal in 1992 by a 2-1 scoreline.
Nigeria have lost four times against hosts — twice against Algeria in 1990 (group stage and final), as well as defeats to Ghana in the 2008 quarterfinals and Côte d’Ivoire in the 2023 final.
Nigeria have drawn three times against hosts — in 1978 against Ghana, in 2002 against Mali in the group stages, and in 2004 against Tunisia in the semifinals (1-1), before losing on penalties.
In the knockout rounds at AfCON, Nigeria have faced hosts five times, winning only once against Mali in the 2002 third-place match. They have lost three times in open play against Algeria in the 1990 final, Ghana in the 2008 quarterfinals and Côte d’Ivoire in the 2023 final, and lost on penalties to Tunisia in 2004.
This is Nigeria’s third direct knockout match against a host team, having previously lost to Tunisia on penalties in the 2004 semifinals and to Ghana in the 2008 quarterfinals.
Overall, this is their 12th meeting, with Morocco holding the upper hand with six wins to Nigeria’s three, with two draws. Both draws ended 0-0 and came in qualification for the 1984 AfCON in the second round over two legs, with Nigeria progressing after winning a penalty shoot-out following a goalless aggregate.
Seven of the 11 goals scored in their previous five AFCON meetings have come in the second half.—Reporting by CAFonline; edited by Maravi Express