By Kunle Solaja, Casablanca

When Nigeria and Morocco walk onto the pitch at the elegant Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Wednesday, the semi-final of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 will be more than a contest for a place in the final. It will be a collision of history, ambition and unfinished business.

The Super Eagles will arrive in Rabat chasing a fourth continental crown, having swept aside every opponent so far with five wins from five matches.

Morocco, buoyed by home support and an unbroken run of four victories and a draw, are seeking to end a long wait for a second AFCON title — their only triumph coming nearly half a century ago.

Coincidentally, both teams’ path crossed twice at the history-making 1976 AFCON, the first and only one ever played on league basis throughout.

It was at Ethiopia 1986 that Nigeria first made impression at the competition and ended up as the third-place team, a position that was celebrated as if Nigeria won the actual trophy.

Morocco on the other hand went on to win the trophy, the only success so far in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Beyond the two encounters of 1976, clashes of Nigeria and Morocco are rare and far in between.

Despite the rarity of their recent meetings, familiarity runs deep. This will be the sixth time both nations clash at the Africa Cup of Nations, and notably, every previous AFCON encounter between them has produced a winner.

It is also their first AFCON meeting in 22 years and just the second time they meet at the semi-final stage.

As it is well known, their rivalry dates back to 1976, when Morocco twice defeated Nigeria in the group stage — 3–1 and 2–1 — on the road to lifting their maiden and only AFCON trophy. Four years later, however, the balance shifted dramatically. In the 1980 semi-final, Nigeria edged Morocco 1–0, with Felix Owolabi’s ninth-minute strike sending the Super Eagles toward their first continental title on home soil.

Subsequent meetings have swung like a pendulum. Nigeria eliminated Morocco in the decisive Group D clash at AFCON 2000, winning 2–0 through goals from Finidi George and Julius Aghahowa.

Morocco had the last AFCON word in 2004, when Youssef Hadji’s late strike secured a 1–0 group-stage victory.

Beyond AFCON finals, the two nations have also crossed paths in qualifiers, most notably in the goalless two-legged second round of qualification for the 1984 tournament. Nigeria advanced only after a penalty shoot-out, underlining how tight and unforgiving this rivalry has often been.

But at the same period and in similar fashion, Morocco edged out Nigeria in the qualification for the football event of Los Angeles 1984.

Morocco currently hold the historical edge overall, with six wins to Nigeria’s three in 11 meetings, alongside two draws.

Yet trends offer intrigue rather than certainty: seven of the 11 goals scored in their AFCON encounters have come in the second half, hinting at a contest that may be decided by patience, nerve and late precision.

For Nigeria, the challenge is amplified by the identity of the opponent as tournament hosts. The Super Eagles’ record against host nations at AFCON is mixed — three wins, three draws and four defeats from ten encounters.

Fresh memories remain of the 2023 final loss to Côte d’Ivoire, where Nigeria fell 2–1 after having beaten the same opponents in the group stage.

History has not been kind to Nigeria in knockout clashes against hosts. In five such meetings, their only outright victory came in the third-place match against Mali in 2002.

Losses to Algeria (1990 final), Ghana (2008 quarter-final), Tunisia (2004 semi-final, on penalties) and Côte d’Ivoire (2023 final) still linger as cautionary tales.

Yet, if history warns, form encourages. Nigeria’s perfect record in the tournament contrasts with Morocco’s slight stumble, and the Super Eagles arrive with momentum, confidence and a sense of destiny. Morocco, meanwhile, carry the weight — and energy — of home expectation, knowing that a chance to end a 49-year title drought may not come often.

When the lights blaze in Rabat on Wednesday night, one long unbeaten run will end. Whether it is Nigeria’s quest for a fourth star or Morocco’s dream of a home-grown renaissance that survives will depend not just on history, but on who writes the next decisive chapter.

Past Encounters

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By Kunle Solaja, Marrakech, enroute Casablanca.

The morning after Nigeria’s emphatic 2–0 dismissal of Algeria still hummed in my ears as the delegation of fellow journalists from across the world who are guests of the Moroccan National Association of Media and Publishers (ANME) was set to depart the famous red brick city.

We were bound for Casablanca, but a detour was suggested as a visit to Marrakech is deemed incomplete without going to the Medina, the local market.

The joy of the victory over Algeria was still visible on my face as everyone continued to congratulate me as if I orchestrated the Nigerian success. Anyway, victory has a way of sharpening the senses, and in Marrakech it felt as if the city itself was leaning in, eager to perform.

Before the road north beckoned, we slipped into the medina—an ancient heart that beats to a rhythm older than football and louder than any stadium.

The approach alone was an overture. Narrow alleys tightened like a funnel, then suddenly loosened into a living square where sound, colour and movement collided. Drums rattled, flutes sang, hawkers called, and somewhere beneath it all the city breathed—dusty, spicy, human. The medina is not visited; it is entered, and once inside, it takes charge.

We had planned to spend just 20 minutes. We did not realise we had spent over two hours before some of us started yelling ‘Yalla Yalla’, the Moroccan way of saying “let’s go!”

At the centre of the spectacle were the snake charmers. Cross-legged on worn rugs, they coaxed cobras from wicker baskets with a musician’s patience.

The snakes rose and swayed, glossy and alert, their movements choreographed to the reedy insistence of a traditional wind instrument made from a dried gourd.

A small ring of spectators formed and dissolved, coins clinked, cameras clicked, and the charmers’ eyes never left their serpents. It was ritual as much as performance, ancient theatre replayed for a modern audience.

Not far away, domesticated monkeys—tiny, nimble and eerily obedient are perched on shoulders or scamper across the stones at a tug of a string or a murmured command. Their owners guided them with practised ease, turning simple gestures into applause-worthy tricks.

Children laughed, adults smiled, and the monkeys bowed, as if they understood their role in the city’s daily drama.

Beyond the performers, the market revealed its careful order. The medina may feel chaotic, but it is meticulously segmented. One turn led into the spice souk, where pyramids of turmeric, paprika, cumin and saffron glowed like powdered sunsets.

The air was warm with pepper and clove, and vendors scooped, weighed and bargained with theatrical flair. Another alley opened into the leather quarter—rows of slippers, bags and belts in every shade imaginable, the scent unmistakable and earthy.

Further on, metalworkers hammered brass into lanterns and trays, sparks flashing as patterns bloomed under their hands. Carpets followed—thick, handwoven stories stacked floor to ceiling—then pottery, woodwork, jewellery, herbs, oils, and traditional garments, each craft claiming its own territory.

This is what the Marrakech medina is mainly known for: its souks—dense, specialised marketplaces where centuries-old crafts are still practised daily; its performers and storytellers who animate public squares; and its ability to compress Morocco’s cultural, commercial and artistic life into a walkable maze.

It is a living museum without walls, commerce without clocks, tradition without apology.

As we finally pulled away, heading for Casablanca, the noise softened behind us but the impressions lingered.

The Super Eagles’ triumph had given the journey a celebratory glow, yet the medina added something deeper, a reminder that travel, like football, is about immersion. You arrive with expectations, but you leave with stories, and Marrakech, generous as ever, had offered us many.

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 By Kunle Solaja, Casablanca

The Super Eagles will head into Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final against hosts Morocco without their captain, Wilfred Ndidi, after the midfielder was suspended from the clash.

Ndidi picked up a booking in Nigeria’s emphatic 2–0 quarter-final victory over Algeria, a caution that ruled him out of the last-four encounter. He had also been cautioned in the Round of 16 match against Mozambique.

The two cautions has triggered an automatic one-match ban. His absence represents a significant blow to the Super Eagles, given his role as the team’s on-field leader and defensive shield in midfield.

The Beşiktaş man has been central to Nigeria’s balance at the tournament, breaking up opposition play and setting the tempo as the Super Eagles powered into the semi-finals with one of the competition’s most convincing performances.

His suspension will force the technical crew into a reshuffle as Nigeria seeks a place in Sunday’s final.

Nigeria, however, have another disciplinary concern ahead of the Morocco showdown. First-choice goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, who was also cautioned in the quarter-final against Algeria for time-wasting, walks a tightrope.

He had been cautioned for the same time wasting in the group stage match against Tunisia. What has saved him from suspension in the semi-finals is the fact that cautions in the group stages are not carried over to the knockout stage.

Another yellow card in Wednesday’s semi-final would rule him out of either the final or the third-place playoff, depending on Nigeria’s result.

Nwabali has been one of the revelations of the tournament, providing assurance at the back as Nigeria tightened defensively in the knockout stages. Any suspension would further complicate selection decisions at a crucial stage of the competition.

Despite the setbacks, confidence remains high in the Nigerian camp after the commanding display against Algeria, with goals from Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams underlining the team’s attacking depth.

 The semi-final against the Atlas Lions now presents the Super Eagles with their sternest test yet—one that will demand discipline as much as tactical sharpness.

Kick-off for the Nigeria–Morocco semi-final is scheduled for Wednesday, with a place in the AFCON 2025 final at stake.

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