GLR
Who: Nigeria vs Tanzania
What: CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025
Where: Fez Stadium, Fez, Morocco
When: Tuesday, December 23, 6:30pm local time (17:30 GMT)
Nigeria begin their Africa Cup of Nations 2025 campaign under pressure, seeking redemption after another painful failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Once hailed as a golden generation capable of restoring the Super Eagles to global prominence, Nigeria arrive in Morocco still searching for answers after missing out on a place at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
The three-time African champions open their Group C campaign against Tanzania, a side making just its fourth appearance at the continental tournament. Nigeria are among the favourites to advance from a group that also includes Tunisia and Uganda, largely due to the depth of talent at their disposal.
With world-class attackers Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman leading the line, expectations remain high despite recent setbacks. Tuesday’s encounter in Fez marks only the second time Nigeria and Tanzania have faced each other at the Africa Cup of Nations, 45 years after their first meeting at the tournament.
Why Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup
Nigeria reached the playoff stage as one of the best runners-up across Africa’s nine World Cup qualifying groups but were eliminated after a dramatic penalty shootout loss to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), losing 4-3 on spot kicks. The defeat meant Nigeria missed out on a place in the inter-confederation playoffs.
The Super Eagles, who have previously appeared at six World Cups, have now failed to qualify for the global tournament for a second consecutive cycle. A sluggish start to qualifying, frequent changes in management and internal issues, including a dispute over player payments, all contributed to the disappointing outcome.
Fallout after the loss to DRC
The aftermath of the playoff defeat has been controversial. Last week, Nigeria submitted a formal petition to FIFA, alleging that the DRC fielded ineligible players during the decisive match.
The Nigerian Football Federation claimed that several dual-nationality players had been cleared to represent the DRC without fulfilling the necessary eligibility requirements. However, the Congolese Football Federation has firmly rejected the accusations, and the matter remains unresolved.
Coaching upheaval in Tanzania
Tanzania, too, come into the tournament following turbulence off the pitch. The Tanzania Football Federation dismissed head coach Hemed Suleiman just one month before AFCON 2025, appointing Miguel Gamondi as interim coach for the finals.
Suleiman had guided the Taifa Stars to their fourth Africa Cup of Nations appearance and oversaw a run to the quarterfinals of the African Nations Championship earlier this year. However, failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup ultimately cost him his job.
Key players to watch: Nigeria
Nigeria’s squad is loaded with quality across all areas of the pitch. Strikers Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, both former CAF African Player of the Year winners, are the standout names.
Defender Calvin Bassey adds solidity at the back, while midfielders Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi provide balance and experience. Winger Samuel Chukwueze offers pace and creativity in the final third.
Key players to watch: Tanzania
Tanzania will look to experienced forwards Mbwana Samatta, who plays his club football with Ligue 1 side Le Havre, and Simon Msuva to lead the attack.
Msuva, who missed the October and November international windows, returns to the squad and remains Tanzania’s most capped player. Should he feature on Tuesday, it will mark his 100th appearance for the national team.
At the back, defender Mohamed Hussein is a key figure, while young prospect Haji Mnoga, currently with Salford City in England’s fourth tier, adds youthful energy to the squad.
Form guide
(All matches listed with most recent result last)
- Nigeria: L-L-W-W-W
- Tanzania: L-L-L-L-D
Head-to-head record
Nigeria and Tanzania have met seven times in all competitions, including World Cup fixtures. Nigeria have won four of those encounters, with the remaining three ending in draws.
Their most recent meeting came at the 2016 Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria claimed a narrow 1-0 victory.
AFCON history
Nigeria are one of the most successful teams in AFCON history, having appeared at the tournament 20 times. They have lifted the trophy on three occasions, most recently in 2013, and finished as runners-up five times. Notably, the Super Eagles have placed in the top three in 13 of their last 15 AFCON appearances.
Tanzania, by contrast, have never progressed beyond the group stage in their three previous AFCON outings. They are also one of only four teams at this year’s tournament yet to record a single AFCON victory, having drawn three and lost six of their nine matches overall.
AFCON 2025 is a milestone tournament for Tanzania, marking the first time they have qualified for consecutive editions of the competition.
Nigeria team news
Nigeria will be without centre-back Benjamin Fredrick and full-back Ola Aina due to injury. Regular captain William Troost-Ekong is also unavailable after recently announcing his retirement from international football, with Wilfred Ndidi set to assume the captain’s armband.
Strikers Victor Boniface and Tolu Arokodare were notable omissions from the squad.
Nigeria’s predicted lineup:
Nwabili (GK); Osayi-Samuel, Ajayi, Bassey, Sanusi; Chukwueze, Ndidi, Iwobi, Lookman; Osimhen, Adams
Tanzania team news
New interim coach Miguel Gamondi has excluded experienced midfielder Mudathir Yahya from the squad, but otherwise has a full group to choose from with no major injury concerns reported.
Tanzania’s predicted lineup:
Suleiman (GK); Kapombe, Hamad, Husseini, Msindo; Miroshi, Salum, Job; Msuva, Mzize, Samatta
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