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AFCON: 10 times Nigeria has played host countries and the results
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The Super Eagles of Nigeria would lock horns with AFCON host Morocco on Wednesday as both sides jostle for a place in the finals of the tournament.
Playing against the host nation at this crucial stage of the tournament seems a big task ahead, especially given the history of the team versus host nations.
Overall, both in the group and knockout stages, the Super Eagles have only won three times in the last ten (10) meetings against host nations, drawing three and losing four in the process.
1978 – Draw Against Ghana
Nigeria’s first recorded draw against a host nation came in 1978, when they faced Ghana in the tournament. The match ended level, highlighting an early stage of competitive encounters against host nations.
1990 – Group-Stage Loss to Algeria
The 1990 AFCON group stage saw Nigeria face Algeria, the host nation, and suffer a defeat by a goal to nil. It marked the first loss to a host in the tournament’s knockout-free early rounds.
1990 – Final Loss to Algeria
The 1990 African Cup of Nations final was a football match that took place on 16 March 1990, at the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers, Algeria, to determine the winner of the 1990 African Cup of Nations. Algeria defeated Nigeria 1–0 with a lone goal from Chérif Oudjani in the 38th minute to win their first African Cup.
1992 – Group-Stage Win Over Senegal
Nigeria recorded a solid 2-1 victory over Senegal, the tournament hosts, during the group stage of the 1992 AFCON. This win demonstrated the team’s ability to challenge host nations early in competitions.
2002 – Group Draw Against Mali
In 2002, Nigeria faced host nation Mali in the group stages, ending in a draw. Despite the stalemate early on, the tournament would later offer redemption against Mali.
2002 – Third-Place Win Over Mali
Later in the same tournament, Nigeria met Mali again in the third-place playoff, securing a 1-0 victory. This remains Nigeria’s only knockout win against a host nation at AFCON. Yakubu Aiyegbeni scored the only goal for Nigeria in that 1-0 victory.
2004 – Semi-Final Draw Against Tunisia
At the 2004 AFCON, Nigeria faced Tunisia, the hosts, in the semi-finals. The match ended 1-1, but Nigeria were eliminated after losing on penalties, showing the fine margins when playing against host sides.
2008 – Quarter-Final Loss to Ghana
The 2008 quarter-finals saw Nigeria face host nation Ghana, suffering a knockout defeat. The match highlighted the Super Eagles’ ongoing challenge in overcoming hosts in high-stakes games. Nigeria had reached four consecutive AFCON semi-finals (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006) before Ghana ended their run in that tournament.
2023 – Group-Stage Win Against Côte d’Ivoire
In the 2023 AFCON, Nigeria faced Côte d’Ivoire in the group stage, achieving a 1-0 victory. This marked a rare win over a host nation in the early stages of the tournament, with former captain Williams Troost-Ekong scoring a lone penalty to hand Nigeria the win.
2023 – Final Loss to Côte d’Ivoire
Later in the same tournament, Nigeria met Côte d’Ivoire again in the final, but fell 2-1, continuing the trend of host nations proving tough to beat in decisive matches. Again, it was Williams Troost-Ekong’s header that put the Super Eagles ahead before goals from Frank Kessie and Sebastian Haller cancelled out the advantage.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria were up against South Africa in the 2027 Women’s World Cup play-off and needed a victory to move to the next stage – the intercontinental play-offs.
Two tickets were up for grabs, with four losing quarter-finalists at the 2027 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) battling for them.
Already, Ghana has defeated Côte d’Ivoire to pick one of the tickets. Thank you for following the live updates of the South Africa vs Nigeria 2027 Women’s World Cup play-off game.
98′ – It is full-time, and Nigeria have lost 2-1 against South Africa. It is the end of the road for the Super Falcons, who won’t be at the World Cup for the first time since the tournament’s inception.
93′ – Ucheibe scores for Nigeria.
92′ – Nigeria gets a penalty, and it is also a red card for South Africa after their player blocked the ball with her hand.
91′ – Justine Madugu gets a yellow card.
77′ – South Africa scores the second goal. It is 2-0 against Nigeria.
75′ – Uchenna Kanu’s header is parried away for a corner kick.
60′ – Chiamaka Nnadozie saves Nigeria, preventing South Africa from scoring again.
56′ – South Africa takes the lead! It is 1-0 to the Banyana Banyana!
54′ – Justine Madugu throws Joy Omewa into the fray. She replaces Asisat Oshoala.
48′ – Oshoala shoots into the goalkeeper.
46′ – The second half is underway!
HT: It is half-time in an evenly balanced game in the 2027 Women’s World Cup play-off between South Africa and Nigeria.
45′ – One more minute added. It is still no goal yet.
40′ – Michelle Alozie’s shot goes narrowly wide for a goal-kick to South Africa.
35′ – No goals in Casablanca in a game of few chances.
28′ – Rasheedat Ajibade’s free kick straight to the South African goalkeeper.
23′ – A South African ball over the top fails to find any Banyana Banyana.
20′ – Twenty minutes in and nothing has separated the teams. No clear-cut chances so far from either country at the Moulay Rachid Stadium.
10′ – Nigeria are pressing for an early goal, but it is still goalless.
1′ – The World Cup play-off between South Africa and Nigeria has kicked off!
Barcelona have reached a final agreement with Paris Saint-Germain for Ferran Torres in a deal which will see the Spain star head to Parc des Princes on a transfer worth €50 million.
The two clubs have been in talks for a while and the deal is now done, according to Fabrizio Romano. Torres has been absent from Barcelona training for the last two days and is now heading to Paris to complete his move.
Torres will sign a five-year contract with PSG and link up with Luis Enrique’s side after scoring the winning goal for Spain in the World Cup final.
The 26-year-old was into the final year of his contract at Barcelona but will now seek a new challenge in Ligue 1 with the French giants.
Barcelona had reportedly been reluctant to extend Torres’s contract, as they would have had to pay an extra €8 million to Manchester City, while there’s been speculation the Spain star was happy to move on after feeling undervalued by Barca.
Cameroon shocked hosts Morocco 3-1 on penalties on Wednesday night to reach the final of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after a tense semi-final ended goalless following extra time in Rabat.
The Indomitable Lionesses held their nerve at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium after 120 minutes without a goal.
Morocco had a golden chance to settle the game in the 118th minute when they were awarded a penalty, but Fatima Tagnaout failed to convert, leaving the hosts to pay a heavy price for the miss.
Marie Ngah, Rose Bella and Myriam Nyadjou scored for Cameroon in the shootout, while Hanane Aït El Haj was Morocco’s only successful taker. Kenza Chapelle, Meryem Atiq and Sakina Ouzraoui all missed as Cameroon secured their fourth appearance in the WAFCON final.
Cameroon remained organised and continued to frustrate the hosts until the end of regulation time. Extra time followed, with the match seemingly heading for penalties before Morocco were handed their best opportunity two minutes from the end.
Tagnaout took responsibility from the spot but could not beat the goalkeeper, sending the game into a shootout.
Morocco had won their previous two WAFCON semi-finals on penalties, against Nigeria in 2022 and Ghana in 2024, but their luck deserted them this time.
Aït El Haj converted Morocco’s first penalty before Chapelle missed the second. Ngah scored for Cameroon, although Grace Mendoua missed the Indomitable Lionesses’ next attempt. Bella then put Cameroon back in front, while Antique failed to convert Morocco’s third.
Nyadjou scored Cameroon’s fourth penalty, leaving Ouzraoui with the task of keeping Morocco’s hopes alive. She missed, confirming Cameroon’s 3-1 victory in the shootout.
The win is a major boost for Cameroon, who had lost their previous three WAFCON penalty shootouts, including their 2018 semi-final defeat by Nigeria.
The Indomitable Lionesses have now eliminated defending champions Nigeria and hosts Morocco in successive knockout rounds.
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