Former Morocco international Mustapha El Haddaoui believes Nigeria have a strong chance of going deep into the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, SportPremi reports.
The Super Eagles have enjoyed an impressive so far and breezed through the group stage with a flawless record, winning all of their three matches.
They started off with a 2-1 win over Tanzania and them went to on book their spot in the knockout round with a 3-2 win over Tunisia in their second match.
Nigeria then showed remarkable depth in their third match, ousting Uganda 3-1 despite making several changes to the starting lineup.
Up next is a clash against Group F third-placed team Mozambique in their round of 16 clash as the Super Eagles make a return to the Fez Stadium next Monday.
El Haddaoui names Nigeria among AFCON2025 favourites
Moroccan legend Mustapha El Haddaoui, who featured at two editions of the African Cup of Nations during his playing days, stated that he does not expect any surprise to happen at the ongoing edition.
According to him, the continent’s strongest sides including the Super Eagles, all have the quality to enjoy an extended stay at the tournament.
“I don’t think the surprise will come from an average or unknown team. I believe the champion will be one of the big teams, led by an experienced coach who knows how to manage situations and has top-quality players at his disposal.
“Teams like Algeria, Senegal, Nigeria, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, DR Congo, and Cameroon all have the potential to go far in the competition. They have all made strong starts. Each of these teams has something to say in this competition, which will make the upcoming rounds exciting and intense”, El Haddaoui revealed.
“Some matches were very strong, while others were more average, depending on the strength of the teams involved. The stronger teams and title contenders have deep squads, which makes their matches more competitive.
“Other teams have less depth on the bench, and this tournament gives them an opportunity to compete at a high level and raise their standards. This also serves as a platform to market African players, helping them earn moves to major European clubs, further develop themselves, and bring that experience back to their national teams. I hope this will be the best edition of the tournament ever organized.”
His thoughts on the 2025 AFCON in Morocco
“The atmosphere is honestly very different between the two editions. Today, the number of participating teams has increased, infrastructure is of a very high standard, stadiums are excellent, hotels and training facilities are well equipped, and transportation is well organized. We even saw CAF President Patrice Motsepe attend three matches in one day across three different cities”, he concluded.
Round of 16 action at the 2025 AFCON tournament will commence later today, while Nigeria will face Mozambique in their own matchup on Monday night at the Fez Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 8 PM.
