On Wednesday night in Rabat, Nigeria will step onto familiar yet unforgiving ground, chasing history under the lights of the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. Standing between the Super Eagles and another landmark chapter in their Africa Cup of Nations journey are the hosts, Morocco buoyed by belief, home support, and the weight of a nation yearning for a title 50 years in the making.
For Nigeria, this semi-final at AFCON 2025 is about more than a place in the final. Victory would send Éric Chelle’s side into a second consecutive AFCON final, a feat they last achieved between 1988 and 1990, and draw them level with Ghana on nine final appearances. A win in Rabat would also mark Nigeria’s fourth appearance in an AFCON final staged on North African soil.
The Super Eagles arrive with an immaculate record. Five matches, five wins. In a tournament defined by fine margins, Nigeria have navigated every test without blemish, chasing a fourth continental crown to add to those lifted in 1980, 1994 and 2013. Since their last triumph a decade ago, only Egypt, Senegal and Ivory Coast have reached multiple AFCON finals alongside Nigeria, underlining the scale of the opportunity before them.
Nigeria have reached the AFCON semi-finals 15 times winning 8and losing 7. No nation has fallen at the semi-final hurdle more often.
Morocco, however are unbeaten at the tournament with four wins and a draw, the Atlas Lions have been carried by defensive discipline, tactical control and a roaring home crowd. This will be the sixth AFCON meeting between the two sides, and notably, all five previous encounters at the finals produced a winner.
This semi-final marks their first AFCON clash in 22 years, and only the second time they meet at this stage of the tournament.
Morocco, for their part, are chasing a second AFCON final appearance and their first continental title in half a century. Walid Regragui’s men topped Group A before producing a composed 2–0 quarter-final victory over Cameroon in Rabat. Their defensive solidity has defined their campaign, with four clean sheets and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou becoming the first Moroccan to achieve that feat at the tournament.
There is firepower too. Brahim DĂaz has emerged as a decisive figure, scoring five goals and becoming the first player since 2021 to score in five matches at a single AFCON edition, leaving him one strike shy of Ahmed Faras’ national tournament record.
Every team that has eliminated Morocco at the AFCON semi-final stage has gone on to win the tournament.
Under Rabat’s night sky, two proud footballing nations will collide. When the whistle blows, records will fade, and history will wait ready to be rewritten.
