AFCON

15 Amazing facts ahead of Nigeria – Egypt Africa Cup of Nations clash

Published

3 years ago

January 10, 2022

BY KUNLE SOLAJA

Both Nigeria and Egypt meet in Garoua, Cameroon on Tuesday as attention shifts to Group D in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. It is a potentially an epic confrontation of two of the teams with the best records in the Africa Cup of Nations history. This match is coming a day to the 11th anniversary of their encounter of 12 January 2010 when they met at the Angola 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

As usual, www.sportsvillagesquare.com takes an insightful look at the match and comes out with the following points of interest.

When Paul Onuachu scored within eight seconds against Egypt in a friendly match played at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba on 26 march 2019, it entered the record books as the second fastest goal in international football.

This Tuesday’s match will be Nigeria’s 94^th Africa Cup of Nations match since the 1963 debut in Kumasi, Ghana.

This match will be Egypt’s 101^st match in the Africa Cup of Nations’ history.

Egypt, playing under the flag of United Arab Republic, a short-lived union of Egypt and Syria, is the first country that inflicted a home defeat on Nigeria when the team beat Nigeria’s ‘Red Devils’ 6-2 in Lagos in a Rome 1960 Olympic qualifying tournament played on 13 December 1959.

Egypt was the team that made Nigeria to switch from red shirts to the now familiar green. It was at the occasion of the return leg match of the Rome Olympic Games’ qualifying tournament played in Cairo on January 1, 1960. The Nigerian team had to change to green since the home country played in red. It was a step towards becoming ‘Green Eagles’ in the months that followed. Nigeria lost the match 0-3.

Nigeria’s first own goal was scored in the match with Egypt (UAR) on 13 December 1959 when John Onyeador turned the ball into his team’s net after two minutes of kick-off in an eventual 2-6 home loss.

It was against Egypt that Asuquo Ekpe scored Nigeria’s first Africa Cup of Nations’ goal in a 6-3 loss on November 24, 1963 in Kumasi, Ghana.

It was in Egypt that Obinna Nsofor scored Nigeria’s 100^th Africa Cup of Nations goal when he found the net in a 1-1 draw with Tunisia on 4 February 2006 in Port Said.

Until Ghana beat Egypt in the qualifying series for Brazil 2014, Nigeria’s 4-0 defeat of Egypt on 8 October 1977, was the country’s heaviest defeat in a World Cup qualifying match.

Until Egypt beat Nigeria 3-1 in Benguela, Angola, Nigeria successively had the upper hand in all Africa Cup of Nations’ matches involving both countries from 1976 to 2010.

Former Nigerian skipper, Stephen Keshi scored the first of his 10 goals for Nigeria when he converted a penalty kick against Egypt in a friendly match on 20 February 1983 in Kaduna to bring scoreline to 1-1.

The doyen of football coaches in Nigeria, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde made his national team debut as Nigeria’s coach in a 18 February 1983 friendly match with Egypt in Lagos. The match ended goalless.

Egypt with seven victories won most titles of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Nigeria with seven third placed positions has the record of most bronze medals.
Nigeria and Egypt are the only countries to have personalities who won the African titles as players and coaches. Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary won the African Cup as player in 1959 and then as a coach in 1998. Nigeria’s Stephen Keshi won the cup as a player in 1994 and then as a coach in 2013.

In head-to-head confrontations, Egypt has a slight edge over Nigeria having won eight of 21 encounters while Nigeria won six

P W D L F A

Egypt 21 8 7 6 36 29

Nigeria 21 6 7 8 29 36

· 13 Dec. 1959 (Oq, Lagos) Nigeria 2-6 Egypt

· 1 Jan. 1960 (Oq, Cairo) Egypt 3-0 Nigeria

· 29 Nov. 1960 (F. Lagos) Nigeria 1-2 Egypt

· 24 Nov. 1963 (Afcon, Kumasi) Egypt 6-3 Nigeria

· 14 Jan 1973 (AAG, Lagos) Nigeria 4-2 Egypt

· 14 Mar 1976 (Afcon Dire Dawa) Egypt 2-3 Nigeria

· 8 Oct. 1977 (WCq, Lagos) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt

· 21 Oct. 1977 (WCq, Cairo) Egypt 3-1 Nigeria

· 15 Mar. 1980 (Afcon, Lagos) Nigeria 1-0 Egypt

· 18 Feb. 1983 (F. Lagos) Nigeria 0-0 Egypt

· 20 Feb. 1983 (F. Kaduna) Nigeria 1-1 Egypt

· 14 Mar. 1984 (Afcon, Bouake) Egypt 2-2 Nigeria (7-8 pso)

· 20 Mar. 1988 (Afcon, Rabat) Egypt 0-0 Nigeria

· 5. Mar. 1990 (Afcon, Algiers) Egypt 0-1 Nigeria

· 30 Mar. 1994 (Afcon, Tunis) Egypt 0-0 Nigeria

· 25 Nov 2002 (F. Lagos) Nigeria 1-1 Egypt

· 12 Jan 2010 (Afcon. Benguela) Egypt 3-1 Nigeria

· 12 Apr 2012 (F-Dubai) Egypt 3-2 Nigeria

· 25 Mar 2016 (Afconq, Kaduna) Nigeria 1-1 Egypt

· 29 Mar, 2016 (Afconq, Alexandria) Egypt 1-0 Nigeria

26 Mar. 2019 (F, Asaba) Nigeria 1-0 Egypt

AFCON

Royal Air Maroc named official partner for AFCON 2025, WAFCON 2024

Published

1 week ago

April 19, 2025

Kunle Solaja

The African Football Confederation (CAF) and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) have sealed a historic strategic partnership that grants Morocco’s national airline the status of “Official Global Partner” for upcoming major African football competitions.

The agreement was signed Saturday morning in Casablanca, in the presence of Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President Fouzi Lekjaâ.

This partnership encompasses several prestigious tournaments, including the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (AFCON) 2025 (December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026) and CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAFCON) 2024 (July 5-26, 2025).

The agreement also covers CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF Champions League 2024/2025 Finals, CAF Confederation Cup 2024/2025 Finals, and the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe voiced enthusiasm about the collaboration.

“We are excited about the partnership between CAF and Royal Air Maroc, a world-class airline that will provide comfort and fly NationalTeams participating in the CAF competitions,” he said.

“We are confident that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be the most successful AFCON in the history of this competition.”

The agreement strengthens RAM’s footprint across Africa and globally, solidifying its role as a strategic gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. It also aligns with Morocco’s emergence as an international sports hub, with the country preparing to host AFCON 2025 and co-host the FIFA World Cup 2030.

RAM’s Chairman and CEO Hamid Addou stated: “This historic partnership with CAF aligns fully with our strategic vision as an airline deeply rooted in Africa and committed to its development.”

“Royal Air Maroc doesn’t just connect destinations; it builds bridges between cultures and passions. By supporting the continent’s biggest football competitions, we reaffirm our role as a facilitator of human and sporting exchanges,” he continued.

500,000 supporters expected

Beyond its partnership role, RAM will implement an exceptional operational system to meet increased demand during CAF competitions. The airline plans to welcome over 500,000 supporters for AFCON 2025.

“We believe we will surpass this figure by far,” revealed Addou. “We will be ready to accommodate these supporters across Royal Air Maroc’s entire network.”

The airline intends to double seat capacity from qualified countries already served by RAM, such as Dakar, Abidjan, Cairo, Tunis, Bamako, Lagos, and Douala.

RAM will also intensify flight frequencies from European cities with large African communities, including Paris, Brussels, Milan, London, Marseille, Lyon, Madrid, and Barcelona.

Additionally, the airline will establish a dedicated program for domestic air transport of national teams, shuttling them between their base camps and host cities.

This positioning establishes RAM as the primary connector between Africa and Europe through its Casablanca hub. FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaâ noted that the contract “reinforces Royal Air Maroc’s first-rate leadership role in Africa.”

“Royal Air Maroc is no stranger to football,” Lekjaâ added. “It has always supported generations of our athletes and footballers here in Morocco.”

“With this expertise and experience, they will contribute significantly to making AFCON 2025 Morocco exceptional, a historic turning point in African football, cultural coexistence and African cultural exchange,” he concluded.

Addou stressed RAM’s commitment to African unity: “We are all extremely proud to be African, and in every corner of this vast and magnificent continent, we share the same ambition—to actively contribute to Africa’s development and influence.”

The RAM CEO concluded by inviting everyone to upcoming CAF calendar events: “We’ll see you very soon for the great moments ahead in the CAF calendar, particularly the Women’s AFCON starting in July and, of course, the men’s AFCON, which kicks off on December 25.”

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AFCON

Morocco speeds up stadium upgrades ahead of AFCON 2025

Published

1 week ago

April 18, 2025

Kunle Solaja

The presidents of the regional councils concerned by the hosting of the matches of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025) unanimously affirmed that the implementation of infrastructure projects in anticipation of this continental event “is progressing at a sustained pace”, declaring themselves “fully mobilized” to crown with success the major sporting events scheduled in the Kingdom.

They specified, in statements to the press in Rabat following a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior devoted to the assessment of the progress of the construction and rehabilitation works of the stadiums, that major sports infrastructure projects are underway in the six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech and Agadir.

The President of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, Abdellatif Maâzouz, announced that the projects planned for upcoming international sporting events, in particular the 2025 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, “are proceeding under good conditions.”

The projects related to the organisation of the AFCON will be ready by next July at the latest, he assured, specifying that there is a clear vision regarding the preparations underway for the AFCON and the 2030 World Cup, both in terms of equipment and organisational arrangements related to human resources and animation.

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AFCON

‘Land of Football’ is ‘Kingdom of Light’ as Moroccan Tourism Office and Football Federation Strike Accord

Published

2 weeks ago

April 14, 2025

Kunle Solaja

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Morocco’s football federation and tourism office have signed a groundbreaking agreement to establish the country as a major football and tourism destination leading to the milestone 2030 World Cup when the global football tournament clocks a century.

The Moroccan football body and the Tourism Office are building on the national team’s recent international success.

Though with just one success in the Africa Cup of Nations, Moroccan football soars higher than the rest in Africa and the Arab world at the World Cup.

Apart from being the only African and Arab country to have reached the World Cup semi-final stage, Morocco in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico became the first African team not to be defeated in a World Cup match when they forced Bulgaria to a 1-1 draw on 11 June.

Again, in Mexico, this time at the 1986 World Cup, Morocco became the first African team to top a group and cross the group stage.

They were just two minutes away from a major upset of West Germany in the round of 16 before Lothar Matthäus’ back-breaking goal.

The success of the football team and the tourism potential of Morocco have found a harmonious chord.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and the National Moroccan Tourism Office (ONMT) will work together under the banner “Morocco, Land of Football,” placing the sport at the heart of the country’s tourism strategy.

“More than an institutional partnership, this convention is a shared vision: that of a Morocco that shines through football and makes it a lever for promotion, pride and tourist attractiveness,” ONMT said in a statement released after the signing.

The timing of this collaboration is strategic, coming ahead of two major sporting events: the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.

The initiative builds on widespread public enthusiasm following the Atlas Lions’ historic World Cup performance in 2022.

Under the agreement, both organizations will implement an integrated communication strategy combining visibility campaigns, influence marketing, and joint promotional activities.

The initiative will mobilize iconic figures from Moroccan football to bring this vision to life, to showcase the country’s world-class sporting facilities, rich cultural heritage, and diverse tourist attractions.

ONMT has launched a major offensive at making Morocco, the ultimate tourism and business destination as the clock ticks down to the 35th Africa Cup of Nations holding in December.

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