AFCON 2025: Egypt Eye Fourth Bronze as Nigeria Defend Perfect Playoff Record
Nigeria and Egypt will meet in Casablanca on Saturday in the third-place playoff of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, with both sides chasing history in a fixture that has often produced drama.
For Nigeria, the stakes are clear. Victory would secure a ninth bronze medal and a record-extending 17th podium finish, underlining their reputation as the most consistent team in AFCON history.
The Super Eagles have contested seven third-place matches and won all seven, never once requiring penalties. Their bronze-medal record includes wins over Cameroon in 1992, Algeria in 2010, and Tunisia in 2019, with six of their seven victories decided by a single goal.
Egypt, meanwhile, have lifted the bronze three times, most memorably in 1974 when they thrashed Congo 4–0. They will be eager to add another medal to their collection after falling short in the semi-finals.
This will be the 10th AFCON meeting between the two nations, with Nigeria holding the edge historically. The Super Eagles have won five of the previous nine encounters, including their most recent AFCON clash in 2021 when Kelechi Iheanacho struck the only goal in a 1–0 group-stage victory.
Egypt, however, claimed the most recent meeting between the sides, a December 2025 friendly, with Mahmoud Saber and Mostafa Mohamed on target in a 2–1 win.
Nigeria arrive with defensive resilience, having kept three successive clean sheets in the knockout rounds, while goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali made five saves in the semi-final against Morocco.
Calvin Bassey’s passing dominance has also stood out, with 115 attempted and 102 completed in that match. Yet the Eagles will be keen to rediscover their attacking spark after their 12-match AFCON scoring streak ended against Morocco.
They have already scored 14 goals at these finals, their highest tally at any edition.
Egypt, who have contested 20 matches against Nigeria overall, winning six, will look to their attacking threats to break down a disciplined Nigerian backline.
Both sides know the significance of the occasion: Nigeria aiming to preserve their perfect bronze record and Egypt hoping to deny them a historic 17th podium finish.
