Nigeria take on host-nation Morocco in the 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semifinals. The football match at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, kicks off at 9pm (20:00) Have Nigeria ever won an AFCON title? Yes. Nigeria are three-time AFCON champions, winning in 1980, 1994 and 2013. Stat attack – Morocco The Atlas Lions have advanced to the AFCON semifinals for the first time since 2004, when they lost the final to Tunisia with coach Walid Regragui in the team. “It is historic. Moroccans have not seen their team in the semifinals of an AFCON for 22 years,” Regragui said. “They deserve it, but we need to keep our feet on the ground and make it even more historic.” Stat attack – Nigeria The Super Eagles, the only semifinalists to have won all five matches, have reached the semifinals 17 times in the last 20 tournaments they have qualified for. They are also this edition’s top scorers overall, with 14 goals in five matches. When did Nigeria and Morocco last meet? The teams last met in February 2018 in the final of the Africa Nations Championship, commonly known as CHAN. Morocco won that game 4-0, and El Kaabi, from their current squad, was one of the goal scorers. Nigeria and Morocco’s last AFCON meeting dates back to January 2004: a group match in which the North Africans won 1-0. Who are Morocco’s best players? Brahim Diaz has arguably been the standout performer of AFCON 2025, scoring in each of his five appearances. With five goals, the Real Madrid winger leads the tournament’s scoring charts, with his closest challengers, Nigeria’s Osimhen and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, both on four. Described by coach Walid Regragui as the “X factor of my team”, Diaz has marked his AFCON debut in style, leaving viewers in awe of his talent. Elsewhere, striker Ayoub El Kaabi has also caught the eye with his acrobatic finishes, contributing two goals to bolster Morocco’s front line. Achraf Hakimi, widely regarded as the world’s best right-back, missed the first two group matches due to an ankle injury but has since returned to full fitness, starting back-to-back matches in the knockout stage. Who are Nigeria’s best players? With seven goal involvements (three goals and four assists), Ademola Lookman has been Nigeria’s most effective player at the tournament, proving equally influential as both playmaker and finisher. The London-born forward is providing strong competition to Morocco’s Brahim Diaz for the tournament’s best player award. Alongside Lookman, Nigeria’s talisman Victor Osimhen remains a lethal threat, scoring four goals, including back-to-back strikes in the round of 16 and quarterfinals. With 35 international goals in 51 appearances for Nigeria, Osimhen is now just two goals away from equalling the national team record of 37 goals held by the late Rashidi Yekini, a member of the Nigerian side that won the 1994 AFCON and also played at two World Cups. Striker Akor Adams has emerged as an unsung hero, contributing two goals and two assists in the last two matches, while Alex Iwobi has been pulling the strings in midfield, and captain Wilfried Ndidi has been equally influential in anchoring the middle of the park. 4-1-4-1 for Morocco Olympiacos forward El Kaabi, who has three goals at this tournament, will lead the line for the Atlas Lions this evening. He’ll have four midfielders behind him, including Diaz and Ezzalzouli on either wing. El Aynaoui will anchor the midfield in a holding role, with the back four sitting in behind. The Morocco defence was also immovable in the quarterfinals as they swept past Cameroon 2-0.
Pre-match analysis: Nigeria vs Morocco – AFCON semifinal
