Nigeria vs Morocco: AFCON semifinal – team news, start time and lineups

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Who: Nigeria vs Morocco
What: CAF Africa Cup of Nations
Where: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco
When: Wednesday at 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.

Nigeria are looking more and more like the team to beat at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), as the Super Eagles soared into the semifinals as the only side to maintain a perfect winning record at the tournament.

How did Nigeria reach the AFCON semifinals?

Nigeria finished on top of Group C, winning all three games with a perfect record in the opening round.

They thrashed minnows Mozambique 4-0 in the quarterfinals before storming past Algeria 2-0 to reach the semifinals.

The Super Eagles, the only semifinalists to have won all five matches, have reached the semifinals 17 times in the last 20 tournaments they have qualified for. They are also this edition’s top scorers overall with 14 goals in five matches.

How did Morocco reach the semifinals?

Morocco topped Group A with an unbeaten record, bagging two wins and a draw for seven points.

They began their knockout campaign with a 1-0 win over Tanzania in the round of 16 before beating five-time champions Cameroon 2-0 in the quarterfinals.

The Atlas Lions have advanced to the AFCON semifinals for the first time since 2004, when they lost the final to Tunisia with coach Walid Regragui in the team.

“It is historic. Moroccans have not seen their team in the semifinals of an AFCON for 22 years,” Regragui said. “They deserve it, but we need to keep our feet on the ground and make it even more historic.”

Who will the winner face in the AFCON final?

The winner of this match will face the victor of the first semifinal between Senegal and Egypt.

Who are Nigeria’s best players?

With seven goal involvements (three goals and four assists), Ademola Lookman has been Nigeria’s most effective player at the tournament, proving equally influential as both playmaker and finisher. The London-born forward is providing strong competition to Morocco’s Brahim Diaz for the tournament’s best player award.

Alongside Lookman, Nigeria’s talisman Victor Osimhen remains a lethal threat, scoring four goals, including back-to-back strikes in the round of 16 and quarterfinals. With 35 international goals in 51 appearances for Nigeria, Osimhen is now just two goals away from equalling the national team record of 37 goals held by the late Rashidi Yekini, a member of the Nigerian side that won the 1994 AFCON and also played at two World Cups.

Striker Akor Adams has emerged as an unsung hero, contributing two goals and two assists in the last two matches, while Alex Iwobi has been pulling the strings in midfield, and captain Wilfried Ndidi has been equally influential in anchoring the middle of the park.

Nigeria's forward #09 Victor Osimhen during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) quarter-final football match between Algeria and Nigeria at the Grand stadium in Marrakesh on January 10, 2026.

Who are Morocco’s best players?

Diaz has arguably been the standout performer of AFCON 2025, scoring in each of his five appearances. With five goals, the Real Madrid winger leads the tournament’s scoring charts, with his closest challengers, Nigeria’s Osimhen and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, both on four.

Described by coach Walid Regragui as the “X factor of my team”, Diaz has marked his AFCON debut in style, leaving viewers in awe of his talent.

Elsewhere, striker Ayoub El Kaabi has also caught the eye with his acrobatic finishes, contributing two goals to bolster Morocco’s front line.

Achraf Hakimi, widely regarded as the world’s best right-back, missed the first two group matches due to an ankle injury but has since returned to full fitness, starting back-to-back matches in the knockout stage.

Morocco's Achraf Hakimi and Morocco's Abde Ezzalzouli celebrate after the match

Nigeria and Morocco form guides

(All competitions, latest results first):

Nigeria: W-W-W-W-W

Morocco: W-W-W-D-W

Head-to-head

Nigeria and Morocco have met in 11 previous encounters, including both competitive and friendly matches.

Morocco have a slight edge in the head-to-head record, winning six times, while Nigeria have won four times. One match ended in a draw.

When did Nigeria and Morocco last meet?

The teams last met in February 2018 in the final of the Africa Nations Championship, commonly known as CHAN.

Morocco won that game 4-0, and El Kaabi, from their current squad, was one of the goal scorers.

Nigeria and Morocco’s last AFCON meeting dates back to January 2004: a group match in which the North Africans won 1-0.

Have Nigeria ever won an AFCON title?

Yes. Nigeria are three-time AFCON champions, winning in 1980, 1994 and 2013.

Have Morocco ever won an AFCON title?

Yes. Morocco won their first and only title in 1976. At that time, Morocco were only the second North African team to win the continental championship after Egypt.

Nigeria team news

Nigeria’s head coach, Eric Chelle, faces a major setback, as captain Ndidi is suspended for this match after collecting his second yellow card of the knockout phase in the last game against Algeria. His fitness had also been in doubt after he picked up an injury in that game.

Osimhen is tipped to take over the captain’s armband for the semifinal.

Nigeria’s predicted lineup

Stanley Nwabali (goalkeeper); Bright Osayi-Samuel, Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Bruno Onyamaechi; Frank Onyeka, Raphael Onyedika, Alex Iwobi; Ademola Lookman; Akor Adams, Victor Osimhen

Morocco team news

Midfielder Azzedine Ounahi is out of the tournament with an injury, while coach Regragui will be sweating over Diaz’s fitness after he came off late in the last game with a heavily strapped thigh.

Morocco’s predicted lineup

Yassine Bounou (goalkeeper); Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd, Adam Masina, Noussair Mazraoui; Bilal El Khannouss, Neil El Aynaoui, Ismael Saibari; Brahim Diaz, Ayoub El Kaabi, Abdessamad Ezzalzouli

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