Nigeria’s AFCON Fact File: Key Statistics Ahead of Morocco 2025 Opening Game

Nigeria will be appearing at their 21st Africa Cup of Nations finals, underlining their status as one of the continent’s most consistent performers.

The Super Eagles are three-time champions, having lifted the trophy in 1980, 1994, and 2013, while finishing as runners-up in 1984, 1988, 1990, 2000, and most recently in 2023.

Their record of finishing in the top three in 13 of their last 15 AFCON appearances speaks to their pedigree, with elimination at the group stage occurring only twice, in 1963 and 1982.

Since 1988, Nigeria have reached at least the semi-finals in 13 of their last 15 tournaments, and in competitions hosted in North Africa, they have finished inside the top three in five of six appearances.

Their opening-game record is impressive, with 20 matches played, 13 wins, two draws, and five losses, and they remain unbeaten in their opening fixture at the last three tournaments.

The Super Eagles have lost just one of their last 14 AFCON group games, winning ten and drawing three, and have scored in each of their last six group matches. Overall, they have lost only four of their last 25 AFCON matches.

Morocco 2025 will mark Nigeria’s 105th AFCON match, the third-most in tournament history, and they have scored 146 goals in the competition, just four short of the 150 milestone.

Nigeria qualified for this edition undefeated, winning four matches and drawing two. Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen were joint top scorers in qualifying with two goals each.

The team is coached by Eric Chelle, who was appointed in January and previously guided Mali to the quarter-finals at AFCON 2023.