AFCON 2025: Five reasons why Nigeria can win a fourth title

By many accounts, Nigeria have been the standout team at the Africa Cup of Nations 2025.

Their football has been dominant, fluid, and highly entertaining. And even when off-field distractions threatened to derail their campaign, the Super Eagles have thrived rather than buckling under the pressure.

After cruising past Algeria in the quarter-finals to secure a semi-final spot, where they face host nation Morocco on Wednesday (14 January), Nigeria now enter the final stages as strong favourites to lift the trophy in Morocco.

Victory would give them their fourth AFCON title, drawing them level with Ghana as the nations with the third-most championships, behind Cameroon (five) and Egypt (seven).

Here are five reasons why Nigeria could clinch a fifth Africa Cup of Nations crown.

Nigeria's fearsome attack

Nigeria have scored more goals than any other team at this AFCON, racking up an impressive 14 goals in five matches.

Much of that firepower has come from the attacking trio of Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams. Between them, they have accounted for more than two-thirds of Nigeria’s total, combining for 10 goals.

Lookman and Osimhen, in particular, have been near impossible to contain. Atalanta forward Lookman has been directly involved in exactly 50 per cent of Nigeria’s goals, scoring four and assisting three, while Osimhen has added four goals and two assists of his own.

That blend of movement, pace and unpredictability has made Nigeria’s attack the most dynamic and most ruthless of the tournament.

Nigeria’s tally of 14 goals now sits just two short of the all-time single-tournament AFCON record, set by Côte d’Ivoire in 2008. It is a mark that could yet fall if the Super Eagles go on to lift the trophy.

Experience of playing on the big stage

Nigeria reached the final of the previous AFCON, only to fall to hosts Côte d’Ivoire.

Of the current 28-man squad in Morocco, 15 were part of that team and know the pain of losing on the big stage. That shared experience has shaped this campaign.

It helps explain why the Super Eagles appear more driven than most of their rivals. Beyond motivation, however, is something just as valuable: the experience of playing a final and understanding how to manage the pressure, the tempo and the fine margins such occasions demand.

That know-how will be crucial as Nigeria look to overcome Morocco and book another place in the final, where those same lessons will be needed again if they are to lift the trophy.

If any team at this tournament is built for that moment, it is Nigeria.

Eric Chelle's winning formula

It took Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle time to find his footing, but once the pieces fell into place, the Super Eagles have looked close to unstoppable.

Chelle’s tenure began with a solid 2–0 victory over Rwanda in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, only for momentum to stall after a disappointing 1–1 draw against Zimbabwe that drained life from the campaign. Nigeria would ultimately fail to qualify, losing a play-off to DR Congo.

That period now feels distant, and the football played then bears little resemblance to what Nigeria are producing today.

Chelle’s preferred 4-4-2 system has given the team greater verticality and clarity, with Alex Iwobi flourishing in a free role behind the attacking trio of Lookman, Osimhen and Adams. The structure has sharpened Nigeria’s pressing, accelerated their transitions and brought a renewed sense of purpose in the final third.

Nigeria are no longer just executing instructions; they are carrying Chelle’s ideas forward with conviction. So far, those ideas are proving not just coherent, but consistently winning ones and potentially strong enough to take them all the way.

Alex Iwobi is a pass master

Yes, most of the headlines from Nigeria’s outstanding run at AFCON 2025 have gone to Lookman and Osimhen, and rightly so.

But one player whose influence has been just as important, if less loudly celebrated, is Fulham’s Iwobi.

Now at his sixth AFCON, the 27-year-old has looked reinvigorated, producing midfield performances that recall the flair and assurance of his uncle, Jay-Jay Okocha, in his heyday.

Iwobi’s line-breaking passing has been particularly striking. During the knockout stages alone, he has completed 36 such efforts, including 22 in Nigeria’s Round-of-16 victory over Mozambique and 14 in the quarter-final against Algeria. No other player in the tournament comes close.

Much of Nigeria’s verticality flows through Iwobi, and his understanding with the front three has been central to the team’s attacking fluidity.

He is a genuine difference-maker, capable of producing moments of quality when the margins are tight. With a player like Iwobi pulling the strings, Nigeria’s belief that they can go all the way feels entirely justified.

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