Nigeria will continue their quest for a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title when they face Mozambique in the Round of 16 of the 2025 AFCON in Morocco on Monday night.
The knockout match will be played at the Stade de Fes, with kick-off scheduled for 8:00pm local time. The Super Eagles will be up against a Mozambique side appearing in the AFCON knockout rounds for the first time in their history.
Nigeria head into the match full of confidence after an outstanding group-stage campaign. They won all three of their Group A matches, defeating Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda to finish top with nine points.
Their 3-1 victory over Uganda in the final group game highlighted Nigeria’s squad depth and growing understanding, as head coach Eric Chelle rotated his team while maintaining their winning run. The Super Eagles scored eight goals in the group stage, finding the net at least twice in each match for the first time at an AFCON finals.
The win over Uganda was Nigeria’s 61st victory in AFCON history and secured their 16th straight appearance in the knockout rounds. It was also only the fourth time Nigeria have won all three group matches at the tournament. A win on Monday would send the Super Eagles into the quarter-finals for the 12th time overall.
Mozambique, meanwhile, are enjoying a historic tournament. The Mambas reached the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time after recording their first-ever AFCON finals win against Gabon in the group phase. They then suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Cameroon in their final group match, despite taking the lead.
Mozambique have never kept a clean sheet at AFCON and have conceded in all their matches at the tournament. However, they have shown improvement going forward by scoring in successive matches for the first time in a single AFCON edition.
History favours Nigeria, who are unbeaten in five previous meetings with Mozambique, winning four and drawing one. Their only AFCON meeting ended in a comfortable 3-0 win for the Super Eagles in 2010. Nigeria also won a friendly 3-2 when the two teams met in October 2023.
In terms of team news, Nigeria coach Eric Chelle is expected to recall several key players after rotating his squad against Uganda. Victor Osimhen is likely to lead the attack again, with Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams also set to return to the starting line-up.
Defenders Bruno Onyemaechi, Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey and Bright Osayi-Samuel are all expected to start. Nigeria will be without Cyriel Dessers, who has been sent home with a thigh injury, while Ryan Alebiosu is also sidelined.
Mozambique will be without injured duo Diogo Calila and Nene, who will miss Monday’s match.
With their experience, depth and strong attacking form, Nigeria will go into the game as favourites as they aim to take another step towards AFCON glory.
