AFCON
South Africa’s Match is Nigeria’s 100th Afcon Qualifier
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
If the five annulled Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches involving Nigeria are excluded, the Saturday fixture with the Bafana Bafana will be Nigeria’s 100th qualifying match in the history of the competition, Sports Village Square can assert.
The figure could have been higher as the encounter with Chad on June 13, 2015 in Kaduna could have been the milestone 100th Africa Cup of Nations match involving Nigeria, but CAF technically annulled the match owing to later withdrawal of Chad from the competition.
The same principle is therefore applied to other matches which results were later annulled by CAF. These were the qualifying matches Nigeria played in the quest for 2000 Africa Cup of Nations that was originally slated for Zimbabwe.
Sports Village Square recalls that before the revocation of the hosting rights that were later jointly given to Nigeria and Ghana, the Super Eagles had played away matches with Burkina Faso and Senegal as well as a home game against Burundi in Abeokuta.
The results were cancelled just like the 1961 away qualifying match with Tunisia. The later match was awarded to Tunisia on account of Nigeria’s walkout for poor officiating. Score line at the time stood at 2-2 with Nigeria leading 4-3 on aggregate.
Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying Matches
1962, Africa Cup of Nations, Ethiopia
- April 8, 1961, Lagos: Nigeria 0-0 Ghana
- April 30, 1961, Accra: Ghana 2-2 Nigeria [Nigeria won on lots*]
- November 25, 1951, Lagos: Nigeria 2-1 Tunisia
- December 10, 1961, Tunis: Tunisia 2-2 Nigeria (Match annulled, awarded to Tunisia)
1963 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana
- July 27, 1963, Lagos: Nigeria 2-2 Guinea
- October 6, 1963, Conakry: Guinea 1-0 Nigeria * Guinea disqualified, Nigeria qualified
1965 Africa Cup of Nations, Tunisia
Nigeria withdrew from prelims
1968 Africa Cup of Nations, Ethiopia
- March 12, 1967, Lagos: Nigeria 0-0 Cote d’Ivoire
- April 2, 1967, Lomé: Togo 1-0 Nigeria
- April 15, 1967, Lagos: Nigeria 4-2 Togo
- May 7, 1967, Abidjan: Cote d’Ivoire 2-0 Nigeria
1970 Africa Cup of Nations, Sudan
Niger w/o Nigeria
1972 Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon
- November 8, 1970, Ibadan: Nigeria 0-0 Congo
- November, 22, 1970, Brazzaville: Congo 2-1 Nigeria
1974 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt
- September 16, 1973, Khartoum: Sudan 1-1 Nigeria
- September 30, 1973, Lagos: Nigeria 2-1 Sudan
- October 28, 1973, Lusaka: Zambia 5-1 Nigeria
- November 11, 1973, Lagos: Nigeria 3-2 Zambia [Zambia qualify]
1976 Africa Cup of Nations, Ethiopia
- October 26, 1975, Brazzaville: Congo 0-1 Nigeria
- November 9, 1975, Lagos: Nigeria 2-1 Congo [Nigeria qualify]
1978 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana
- June 12, 1977, Dakar: Senegal 3-1 Nigeria
- June 25, 1977, Lagos: Nigeria 3-0 Senegal [Nigeria qualify]
1980 Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria
*Automatic as hosts
- Africa Cup of Nations, Libya
*Automatic as defending champions
1984 Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire
- April 9, 1983, Lagos: Nigeria 2-0 Angola
- April 24, 1983, Luanda: Angola 1-0 Nigeria
- August 14, 1983, Benin: Nigeria 0-0 Morocco
- August 28, 1983, Rabat: Morocco 0-0 Nigeria [Nigeria qualify 4-3 on pen.]
1986 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt
- August 10, 1985, Lagos: Nigeria 0-0 Zambia
- August 18, 1985, Lusaka: Zambia 1-0 Nigeria [Zambia qualify]
1988 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco
- March 28, 1987, Ibadan: Nigeria 2-0 Togo
- April 2, 1987, Lomé: Togo 1-1 Nigeria
- July 4, 1987, Ibadan: Nigeria 3-0 Sierra Leone
- July 18, 1987, Freetown: Sierra Leone 2-0 Nigeria [Nigeria qualify]
1990 Africa Cup of Nations, Algeria
- April 9, 1989, Conakry: Guinea 1-1 Nigeria
- April 22, 1989, Ibadan: Nigeria 3-0 Guinea
- July 15, 1989, Ibadan: Nigeria 3-0 Zimbabwe
- July 29, 1989, Harare: Zimbabwe 1-1 Nigeria [Nigeria qualify]
1992 Africa Cup of Nations, Senegal
- August 19, 1990, Lagos: Nigeria 3-0 Togo
- September 1, 1990, Accra: Ghana 1-0 Nigeria
- September 30, 1990, Cotonou: Benin 0-1 Nigeria
- January 13, 1991, Ouagadougou: Burkina Faso 1-1 Nigeria
- January 27, 1991, Lomé: Togo 0-0 Nigeria
- April 13, 1991, Lagos: Nigeria 0-0 Ghana
- April 27, 1991, Lagos: Nigeria 3-0 Benin
- July 27, 1991, Lagos: Nigeria 7-1 Burkina Faso
1994 Africa Cup of Nations, Tunisia
- August 16, 1992, Khartoum: Sudan 0-0 Nigeria
- August 29, 1992, Lagos: Nigeria 2-0 Uganda
- April 11, 1993, Addis Ababa: Ethiopia 1-0 Nigeria
- April 24, 1993, Lagos: Nigeria 4-0 Sudan
- July 17, 1993, Kampala: Uganda 0-0 Nigeria
- July 24, 1993, Lagos: Nigeria 6-0 Ethiopia
- October 4, 1998, Ouagadougou: Burkina Faso 0-0 Nigeria [annulled]
- January 23, 1999, Abeokuta: Nigeria 2-0 Burundi [annulled]
- February 28, 1999, Dakar Senegal 1-1 Nigeria [annulled)
- Africa Cup of Nations, South Africa
*Automatic as defending champions, but withdrew
1998 Africa Cup of Nations, Burkina Faso
*Banned
2002 Africa Cup of Nations, Mali
- September 2, 2000, Lagos: Nigeria 4-0 Namibia
- October 7, 2000 Antananarivo: Madagascar 0-0 Nigeria
- January 13, 2001, Lagos: Nigeria 1-0 Zambia
- March 24, 2001, Chingola: Zambia 1-1 Nigeria
- June 2, 2001, Benin: Nigeria 1-0 Madagascar
- June 16, 2001, Windhoek: Namibia 0-2 Nigeria
2004 Africa Cup of Nations, Tunisia
- September 8, 2002, Luanda: Angola 0-0 Nigeria
- March 29, 2003, Blantyre: Malawi 0-1 Nigeria
- June 7, 2003, Abuja: Nigeria 4-1 Malawi
- June 21, 2003 Benin: Nigeria 2-2 Angola
2006 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt
- June 5, 2004, Abuja: Nigeria 2-0 Rwanda
- June 20, 2004, Luanda: Angola 1-0 Nigeria
- July 3, 2004, Abuja: Nigeria 1-0 Algeria
- September 5, 2004, Harare: Zimbabwe 0-3 Nigeria
- October 9, 2004 Libreville: Gabon 1-1 Nigeria
- March 26, 2005, Port Harcourt: Nigeria 2-0 Gabon
- June 5, 2005, Kigali: Rwanda 1-1 Nigeria
- June 18, 2005 Kano: Nigeria 1-1 Angola
- September 4, 2005, Oran: Algeria 2-5 Nigeria
- October 8, 2005, Lagos: Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana
- September 6, 2006, Abuja: Nigeria 2-0 Niger
- October 8, 2006, Maseru: Lesotho 0-1 Nigeria
- March 24, 2007, Abeokuta: Nigeria 1-0 Uganda
- June 2, 2007, Kampala: Uganda 2-1 Nigeria
- June 17, 2007, Niamey: Niger 1-3 Nigeria
- September 8, 2007, Warri: Nigeria 2-0 Lesotho
2010 Africa Cup of Nations, Angola
- June 1, 2008, Abuja: Nigeria 2-0 South Africa
- June 7, 2008, Freetown: Sierra Leone 0-1 Nigeria
- June 15, 2008, Malabo: Equat. Guinea 0-1 Nigeria
- June 21, 2008, Abuja: Nigeria 2-0 Equat. Guinea
- September 6, 2008, Port Elizabeth: South Africa 0-1 Nigeria
- October 11, 2008, Abuja: Nigeria 4-1 Sierra Leone
2012 Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea/Gabon
- September 5, 2010, Calabar: Nigeria 2–0 Madagascar
- October 10, 2010, Conakry: Guinea 1–0 Nigeria
- March 27, 2011, Abuja: Nigeria 4–0 Ethiopia
- June 5, 2011, Addis Ababa: Ethiopia 2–2 Nigeria
- September 4, 2011, Antananarivo: Madagascar 0–2 Nigeria
- October 8, 2011, Abuja: Nigeria 2–2 Guinea
2013 Africa Cup of Nations, South Africa
- February 29, 2012, Kigali: Rwanda 0-0 Nigeria
- June 16, 2012, Calabar: Nigeria 2-0 Rwanda
- September 8, 2012. Monrovia: Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- October 13, 2012, Calabar: Nigeria 6-1 Liberia
2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Gabon
- September 6, 2014, Calabar: Nigeria 2-3 Congo-Brazzaville
- September 10, 2014, Cape Town: South Africa 0-0 Nigeria
- October 11, 2014, Khartoum: Sudan 1-0 Nigeria
- October 15, 2014, Abuja: Nigeria 3-1 Sudan
- November 15, 2014. Pointe-Noire: Congo-Brazzaville 0-2 Nigeria
- November 19, 2014, Uyo: Nigeria 2-2 South Africa
2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea
- June 13, 2015, Kaduna: Nigeria 2-0 Chad (annulled)
- September 5, 2015, Dar es Salaam: Tanzania 0-0 Nigeria
- March 25, 2016, Kaduna: Nigeria 1-1 Egypt
- March 29, 2016, Alexandria: Egypt 1-0 Nigeria
- September 3, 2016, Uyo: Nigeria 1-0 Tanzania
2017 Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon
- June 10, 2017, Uyo: Nigeria vs South Africa
AFCON
African champions Cote d’Ivoire ring changes with new backroom staff
Cote d’Ivoire head coach Emerse Fae has overhauled his backroom team following the Elephants’ Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire 2023, success earlier this year.
Fae, who took over from Frenchman Jean-Louis Gasset during the tournament in January, has brought in three new faces as he builds towards qualifying for the 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations and 2026 World Cup.
Former Cote d’Ivoire goalkeeper Gerard Gnahouan, 45, joins as goalkeeping coach after working in this role with French Ligue 2 side Sochaux.
Gnahouan, capped 10 times by the Elephants between 2002 and 2011, takes over as goalkeeping coach and will be tasked with getting the best out of first-choice Yahia Fofana.
Moroccan Samir Anba, previously with French club Nice and Morocco’s Under-17s, takes over as fitness coach, while Jeremy Antonio arrives as video analyst after working with Fae at French side Clermont.
“This new composition of the technical staff marks the start of a new era for the Cote d’Ivoire national team, and expectations are high,” said Fae.
Fae kept faith with assistant Guy Demel while former international Alain Gouamene joins as the second assistant coach of the AFCON-winning team.
The 40-year-old led an all-local setup to a surprise African title in March after being promoted from Gasset’s number two following their near exit at the group stage.
The new backroom additions have a huge challenge ahead, with Cote d’Ivoire facing crunch matches in June as they bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The Elephants top their qualifying group after beating Gambia and Seychelles in the opening two matches in Group F of the qualifiers under caretaker Gasset.
-CAF
AFCON
Liberia, Eswatini hold upper hand in AFCON 2025 preliminary qualifiers –
After commanding victories in the first leg matches of the Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025, qualifiers, Chad, Liberia, and Eswatini find themselves in advantageous positions as they gear up for the return fixtures scheduled for Tuesday.
As the second leg of the preliminary fixtures approach, all eyes will be on these teams as they vie for their coveted spots in the group phase of the qualifiers, with the hopes of making their mark on the continental stage.
Chad emerged victorious with a narrow 1-0 win over Mauritius, joining Liberia and Eswatini in the lead after their impressive triumphs earlier last week.
Liberia secured a 2-0 victory against Djibouti, while Eswatini displayed their dominance with a 3-0 win over Somalia.
The second leg promises to be fiercely contested, particularly for Chad, who will face a challenging encounter against Mauritius on the latter’s home turf.
Coach Kevin Nicaise’s players are keen to defend their slender lead and secure their spot in the next phase of the qualifiers but the trainer admits they have an arduous task.
“We are far from perfect, far from being a top team in the world. We are in the construction phase. There are still things to work on and improve,” coach Nicaise said after their first-leg win.
“It is not overnight that we will be a top team in the world, we are aware of that, however we are working hard with the group and the staff to achieve this goal.”
Meanwhile, Liberia will host Djibouti, aiming to build on their first-leg success and seal their progression to the next round.
Eswatini will host Somalia with confidence, seeking to maintain their winning momentum and secure passage to the next stage of the tournament.
South Sudan and Sao Tome and Principe will also face off in what is expected to be a closely contested encounter, following their goalless draw in the first leg.
With both teams eager for victory, the match promises to be a thrilling battle for supremacy.
-CAF
AFCON
Liberia and Eswatini take control of AFCON preliminary ties
Liberia and Eswatini took commanding leads in their respective Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025, preliminary round ties after claiming impressive away victories on Wednesday.
Liberia captain Murphy Dorley scored one of two first-half goals as the Lone Stars defeated hosts Djibouti 2-0 in the opening leg in Marrakech.
Mohammed Sangare broke the deadlock from the penalty spot on 23 minutes before Dorley coolly slotted home Sebastian Teclar’s cross 12 minutes later.
Djibouti struggled to lay a glove on their more illustrious opponents as the Lone Star side kept them at bay to take two away goals into next week’s second leg in Monrovia.
Eswatini were also celebrating after demolishing Somalia 3-0 in the Moroccoan city of El Jadida to put one foot in the group stage qualifiers.
Striker Sabelo Ndzinisa was the hero, netting twice either side of Felicio Figuareido’s 40th minute opener for the visitors.
Somalia now face an uphill battle to qualify when they travel to the Mbombela Stadium in the South African city of Nelspruit for the return on March 26th.
The opening leg victories give Liberia and Eswatini a huge advantage heading into the second legs as they target a place in the group stage on the road to next year’s finals in Morocco.
Back from the locker room, Somalia still couldn’t play its game.
Worse, Eswatini widened the gap with Ginindza who scored his double of the evening in the 56th minute. 3-0, the score remained unchanged on the scoreboard until the final whistle.
Victory for Eswatini which will still have to perform in the return leg to ensure its qualification for the qualifiers.
-
Nigerian Football1 week ago
Remo Stars add fuel to the fire as title chase turns East – West battle
-
UEFA Champions League1 week ago
Nigerians among Leverkusen’s African quintetin historic Bundesliga triumph
-
CAF Confederation Cup2 days ago
Nigeria’s Samson Adamu signs Algeria’s USM match forfeiture
-
Nigerian Football1 week ago
Rangers tenaciously hold on at Nigeria League top position
-
CAF Confederation Cup2 days ago
BREAKING! CAF awards abandoned Confederation Cup semi-finals to Morocco’s RS Berkane
-
Nigerian Football1 week ago
Heartland back to their homeland as they host Shooting Stars
-
FEDERATION CUP7 days ago
BREAKING! Federation Cup acquires presidential nomenclature…7th name since inception
-
CAF Confederation Cup6 days ago
Confederation Cup runs into crisis as Moroccan players of RS Berkane are stranded at Algerian airport following seizure of jerseys and equipment