AFCON 2025: Nigeria and Morocco Set for Rare Semi-Final Showdown in Rabat
Eight-time finalists Nigeria and hosts Morocco will lock horns in a high-stakes semi-final at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Wednesday, January 14, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, renewing a rivalry that has rarely reached this stage of the competition.
It will be only the second time the Super Eagles and the Atlas Lions meet in an AFCON semi-final.
Their lone previous encounter at this phase came in 1980, when Nigeria edged Morocco 1–0 on their way to lifting the trophy. That result still stands as a historic marker in a rivalry largely contested in the group stages.
Indeed, four of the five AFCON meetings between the two nations have come during the group phase.
Overall, Morocco hold a slight edge in the competition, having won three of their five encounters, while Nigeria have claimed victory twice. Their most recent AFCON clash dates back 22 years to Tunisia 2004, when Morocco secured a narrow 1–0 win in the group stage.
Nigeria’s deep experience at this level further underlines the scale of the task for both sides. The Super Eagles have reached the AFCON final on eight occasions, a feat only bettered by Egypt (ten times) and Ghana (nine times) but have only lifted the trophy three times and finishing runners-up five times.
Morocco, by contrast, have only progressed beyond the semi-final stage twice in their history—winning the title in 1976 and losing the final in 2004 to Tunisia.
Playing on home soil, Morocco will draw confidence from history and atmosphere. Nigeria, however, are no strangers to hostile environments.
The Super Eagles’ record against AFCON host nations stands at three wins, three draws and four defeats, underlining both the challenge and the opportunity that awaits them in Rabat.
Beyond pride and rivalry, silverware is firmly in focus. Nigeria are chasing a fourth AFCON crown, having last lifted the trophy in 2013. Morocco, meanwhile, are bidding for only their second continental title—and their first in nearly half a century.
For Nigeria, it is another step in a familiar journey toward continental glory having come with touching distance of lifting the trophy in the last edition in Cotê d’Ivoire two years ago; but for Morocco, it is a rare opportunity to rewrite history on home soil.