Former Nigeria international Ben Iroha has stressed that effective planning and preparation will be crucial to the Super Eagles’ hopes of winning the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, SportPremi reports.
Nigeria head into the AFCON tournament in Morocco later this month as one of the favorites to lift the prestigious continental trophy, as well as the likes of Senegal, Morocco and Ivory Coast.
The team is hugely stacked with quality, headlined by the presence of 2023 and 2024 CAF Men’s Player of the year award winners Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.
The Super Eagles also boast one of the most talented squads in the continent and could finally win a long-awaited fourth title.
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However, they have suffered disappointments in recent campaigns, winning bronze at the 2019 edition and silver at the last edition in Ivory Coast.
The three-time African champions also failed to reach consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments after their defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the CAF playoffs last month.
A second-placed finish in group C had earned the country a spot among the best four runners-up and after beating Gabon in the first round, they ultimately lost on penalties to DR Congo to end their World Cup chances.
The AFCON tournament provides an opportunity to bounce back from the failure and they will be hoping to win their first title since 2013.
Iroha fancies Nigeria’s AFCON chances
Former Super Eagles defender Ben Iroha, who was among the winning contingent at the 1994 African Cup of Nations is optimistic the country can win gold at this year’s edition.
According to him, proper preparations must be put in place to ensure the players remain focused on reaching their goal at the tournament.
“I’ve seen the list. It is not a bad one. The coach will still have to prune it down to 23 players for the tournament.
One thing is very clear: Nigeria is very rich in talent production. Except for maybe one or two players who are still plying their trade in the domestic league (NPFL), the rest are in top leagues across Europe”, the ex-international said.
“So, the talent, quality and experience are there. What is needed now is hard work, organisation and good planning. With proper preparation and the right selection, this team has what it takes to deliver the AFCON title in Morocco.
“Of course, the AFCON title will be the only acceptable compensation for Nigerians after missing out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The team showed renewed vigour in the latter stages of the qualifiers. If they replicate that form at the AFCON — and possibly improve on it — Nigerians will have cause to be happy at the end of the tournament”, he continued.
Nigeria kickstart their tournament against Tanzania on the 23rd of this month, before further games against Tunisia and Uganda.
