After failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Super Eagles will have another opportunity to appease aggrieved Nigerians when they begin their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign against Tanzania on Tuesday by going as far as winning the tournament in Morocco. 

Most football fans in Nigeria are still dealing with the reality that the West African country will not participate in the World Cup in North America next year despite the expansion of the tournament to 48 teams. So winning the AFCON may be the only way for the Super Eagles and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to redeem themselves.

Heading into Morocco, NFF has been the entity at the receiving end of  negative commentary among Nigerians online over the rapidly declining state of football in the nation that was once regarded as a football powerhouse in Africa. The anger Nigerians feel towards the federation is aggravated by several factors, including lack of football development plans and corruption allegations. 

Apart from the Super Falcons that won their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title this July, performance of the other national teams have been far from impressive this year after Flying Eagles and the Flamingoes failed to move past the round of 16 of the U-20 FIFA World Cup and U-17 FIFA World Cup respectively.

Notably, the Golden Eaglets, one of the most successful U-17 teams in the world, were absent at the underage World Cup in Qatar, which supporters and football experts are pointing out as the clearest indication that Nigerian football is massively falling behind at the time when other countries on the continent are recording tremendous growth.

The main concern for Nigerians is the dreadful state of sports facilities in the country, which they say is denying talents from having opportunities to train and develop themselves like their counterparts across the world. Absence of standard facilities is the main reason behind NFF’s decision to move Super Eagles matches to Akwa Ibom, where the country’s only world-class stadium is located.

While Nigerians are understandably unhappy with the state of football in the country, this AFCON came at a perfect time for the players and administrators to appease Nigerians with a  continental trophy fresh off the 2026 FIFA World Cup Tournament Playoff after losing on penalties to DR Congo just last month. 

Speaking to Peoples Gazette, sports journalist Hassan Abdulsalam, stressed that winning the AFCON is crucial for the Super Eagles as they would want to surpass the second place finish at the last tournament in Ivory Coast. He noted it is most essential for the team to make up for failing to qualify for the next year’s World Cup. 

“It is very important for the Super Eagles to win the AFCON because firstly, being the runners up in the last edition in Ivory Coast, it would be a bigger step for them to win the championship. But the most important part is after failing to qualify for the World Cup back-to-back, the best way to redeem their images and renew the love Nigerians have for them, is just for them to win the AFCON,” Mr Abdullahi said. “They don’t have any excuse. When we talk about the quality of players in that squad, there is no team on the continent we can compare this Eagles team to side by side. The team has every tool in their arsenal so they should go out and win the AFCON. “

Commenting on the issues affecting football development in the country, he said, “When it comes to the problem Nigerian football is facing, it is a very deep one. Nigeria has become a country where developmental stages are missing, from grassroots to the top level. Yes, we have the talent but there are no proper structures and fundamental plans for players to graduate from underage grades football to the national team. 

“Before now, we ruled continental and global youth competitions but Nigeria has fallen behind now. Take a look at streets across the country, there are loads of potential talents but there are no structures for their development. I think the solution is for football to go back to the grassroots, where next generation footballers for the national teams can be nurtured.”

In his submission, football analyst, Olamide Abe, agreed with the position of Mr Abdullahi adding, “I think a lot of things can make this very important. The most important thing is our national redemption. After the heartbreak of the 2022 and 2026 World Cup, the team needs something that can bring fans joy. A whole lot of Nigerians have given up on the Super Eagles but winning the AFCON can redeem them to a certain extent because success at the tournament would definitely give them the psychological reset.”

Mr Abe added, “For example, before we won the 2013 AFCON, Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2012 AFCON and the team had very low expectations under Keshi but in the long run, winning the AFCON revived public trust in the team following several years of instability. And this AFCON can give the team a platform to probably build something on and also save the face of the NFF too.”

Meanwhile, Jeremiah Omoniyi, another sports journalist, disagreed with the notion that Super Eagles the AFCON in Morocco can ever make up for the disappointment of Nigeria missing out on the World Cup. He, however, agreed that the deal is done and the team must focus on achieving the best possible outcome at the AFCON.

“No matter what the Super Eagles achieve during the AFCON can suffice the omission from the World Cup. Everybody knows that the World Cup is the biggest competition in the world and it is where the big boys play so for you to be among the big boys, you have to be in the competition,” Mr Omoniyi said. But having said that, we do not need to cry over it anymore, the AFCON is here and it is very important for Nigeria to do something. This is not going to solve the problem but it would just absorb the pain and disappointment of missing the World Cup.

On the decline of football, he said, “The decline of Nigerian football did not start today but may be significant now. After the 2014 World Cup that Stephen Keshi took us to, one thing that was significant with the Super Eagles, was the harmony and leadership in the team headed by the likes of John Mikel Obi, Joseph Yobo. I think one of the problems facing the Super Eagles right now is the lack of leadership in the team. We lost the game against DR Congo because there was no proper coordination — it was not because of the coach’s tactics.”

Nigeria won her first AFCON title on home soil in 1980 before waiting for 14 years to replicate the feat at the 1994 edition in Tunisia, beating Zambia in the final. The country’s last triumph on the continental stage came in 2013 in South Africa but has been waiting since then to lay their hands on the coveted trophy again.

While football declines in Nigeria, Morocco is quickly becoming the next football powerhouse, especially at youth level. In 2025 alone, Morocco has won the U-17 AFCON, the FIFA U-20 World Cup and their second tier senior national team recently became the champions of the FIFA Arab Cup. 

The country was also the champions of the African Nations Championship last year.

South Africa also reached a new high in age-group football this year, winning the U-20 AFCON for the first time in the country’s history. Senegal and Ivory Coast have both too recorded tremendous development recently.