Nigeria’s Super Eagles will battle Egypt’s Pharaohs in the third-place play-off of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, January 17, 2026, following their semi-final exit on Wednesday night.
Nigeria missed out on a place in the final after suffering a 4–2 defeat on penalties to tournament hosts Morocco, after a tense encounter that ended 0–0 after regulation time and extra time.
Morocco dominated much of the attacking play during the match, recording 16 shots compared to Nigeria’s two, but the Super Eagles remained in the contest largely due to an outstanding performance from goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, whose saves kept Nigeria level throughout the 120 minutes.
Despite the efforts of star forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, Nigeria struggled to break down Morocco’s well-organised defence. The Atlas Lions’ full-backs, Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui, played key roles at both ends of the pitch, contributing defensively while also driving Morocco’s attacking momentum.
The semi-final was eventually decided by penalties, where Paul Onuachu and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru converted their spot-kicks for Nigeria. However, misses from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi proved costly, allowing Morocco to advance to the final.
In the other semi-final played earlier on Wednesday, Senegal defeated Egypt 1–0 in Tangier, with Sadio Mané scoring the decisive goal in the 78th minute. Senegal controlled possession for most of the match, while Egypt defended doggedly but struggled to pose a significant attacking threat.
With the semi-finals concluded, Nigeria and Egypt will now meet in the third-place match scheduled for 5 pm on Saturday, while Morocco and Senegal will clash in Sunday’s final to decide the AFCON 2025 champions
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