By Kunle Solaja

• Tanzania have never won an AFCON match
• Nigeria hardly lose an opening match having avoided a loss in 17 of 20 instances

Nigeria’s Super Eagles will begin their campaign at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a Group C clash against Tanzania in Fez, Morocco, aiming to set a strong tone in their 20th appearance at Africa’s flagship football tournament.

Although meetings between both sides have been few and far between, history strongly favours Nigeria. In 10 previous encounters, the Super Eagles have never lost to Tanzania, recording six wins and four draws, with a superior goals record of 14–5.

For Tanzania, the Morocco 2025 finals represent just their fourth appearance in 35 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, underlining the contrasting pedigree of both teams on the continental stage. The Taifa Stars are also yet to taste victory in an AFCON opening match. Their previous opening-day defeats include a 3–1 loss to Nigeria in Lagos in 1980, a 2–0 reverse against Senegal in 2019, and a 3–0 defeat to hosts Morocco at the 2023 tournament.

Overall, Tanzania have played nine AFCON matches since their debut in 1980 without recording a single win, a statistic they will be desperate to overturn in Fez.

Nigeria, by contrast, have traditionally started strongly at the Nations Cup. In 20 tournament appearances, the Super Eagles have lost just three opening matches — a 6–3 defeat to Egypt in 1963, a 5–1 loss to Algeria in 1990, and a 3–1 reverse against Egypt in 2010.

Their head-to-head record with Tanzania further underlines Nigeria’s dominance. The first meeting between both sides ended in a goalless draw in Dar es Salaam in July 1972, but Nigeria went on to win three successive encounters later that year and in early 1973. The Super Eagles also defeated Tanzania 3–1 in their only previous AFCON meeting in 1980 and completed a double over them in the 1980 World Cup qualifiers.

More recent competitive meetings also went Nigeria’s way, including a 1–0 home win in Uyo during the 2017 AFCON qualifiers, following a goalless draw in Dar es Salaam.

As the Super Eagles look to navigate a competitive Group C, a positive start against familiar opponents could prove crucial. With history, pedigree and experience firmly on their side, Nigeria will be targeting maximum points against a Tanzania side eager to rewrite the script and announce their presence on the continental stage.

Nigeria-Tanzania Tale of the Tape

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By Kunle Solaja.

Head-to-Head

Under the Rabat night sky, where expectation often weighs heavier than history, Tunisia and Uganda will step onto the pitch at the Stade Annexe Olympique, Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah on Tuesday, each carrying a different story but sharing the same ambition — to matter in Group C of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Numbers, History and Pride are key elements as both strive to take vital points in the duel scheduled to begin at 9 pm local time and also by Nigerian time.

The numbers underline the scale of the task facing Uganda. In five previous meetings spanning 63 years, Tunisia have won all five, scoring 16 goals and conceding just once. Uganda’s lone goal against the North Africans came as far back as 1976, a statistic that sets the backdrop for tonight’s contest.

This will be the third time the sides meet at the Africa Cup of Nations. Their first encounter came in 1962 in Addis Ababa, when Tunisia went on to claim bronze after a 3–0 victory.

They crossed paths again in the 1978 group stage in Kumasi, with Tunisia prevailing 3–1. The most emphatic result overall arrived in 1999, when Tunisia recorded a commanding 6–0 win in Tunis during the qualifiers.

More than two decades later, Tunisia returned to the continental stage under head coach Samy Trabelsi, carrying both expectation and responsibility. The Carthage Eagles are making their 22nd AFCON appearance and their 17th in succession, a record that reflects consistency at the highest level of African football.

Speaking ahead of the match, Trabelsi praised the organisation and facilities in Morocco, noting similarities in weather and conditions to Tunisia. He also warned against complacency. “African football has evolved. Every team is competitive and can make things difficult,” he said.

On the pitch, Tunisia will look to experienced figures such as midfielder Elyes Skhiri to dictate the tempo. Skhiri stressed the importance of starting strongly after disappointments in recent editions. “We must compete to win and not take any team for granted,” he said. “Uganda are no pushovers.”

Uganda, meanwhile, arrive in Rabat determined to challenge the narrative. The Cranes are making their eighth AFCON appearance and their first since 2019, and head coach Paul Put believes his side is ready to compete on the big stage. “We are proud to be here and focused on the game,” Put said. “The team is gradually gelling into a strong side.”

Midfielder Khalid Aucho echoed that confidence, insisting Uganda are motivated by outside doubts. “Many people have not given us a chance, but we are focused on making our nation proud,” he said.

As Group C takes shape, Tunisia’s flawless head-to-head record contrasts sharply with Uganda’s ambition to rewrite history. Under the Rabat lights, past statistics will count for little once the whistle blows, as both sides chase a strong start to their AFCON campaign.

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 Nigeria need to disregard outside noise and stay focused on their Africa Cup of Nations campaign after missing out on qualifying for next year’s World Cup, coach Eric Chelle said on Monday.

The Super Eagles face Tanzania in their opening Group C game on Tuesday, and the Malian coach urged his players to put behind them the disappointment of failing to reach the World Cup playoffs following defeat by the Democratic Republic of Congo in November.

“We prefer to stay focused at all times. I told the players to concentrate on themselves and on our development project. This is the most important thing we have,” Chelle told a press conference.

“We are our first opponent, we need to focus on ourselves and take out outside noise. Of course, the World Cup miss is painful”.

“We are here to win this first game. We have a tournament to play and we are here to be ambitious. I don’t have time to think about what happened before. I prefer to stay focused on what is happening right now,” he added.

Nigeria are struggling in defence due to injuries and the retirement of veteran William Troost-Ekong before the AFCON, but the 48-year-old coach expressed full confidence in his squad. The 2023 Nations Cup runners-up will also play Tunisia on December 27 and Uganda three days later in the group stage

-Reuters

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