The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) has reached its penultimate stages, with Nigeria and Egypt set to battle it out for the bronze medal in the third/fourth place match on Saturday evening.
Nigeria and Egypt will meet at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, with the game scheduled to get underway at 6:00pm (SA time).
How did the two sides find themselves in this position? They both fell short in their respective semi-final encounters, with Nigeria losing 4-2 on penalties to host nation Morocco, while Egypt succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Senegal.
The Super Eagles and the Pharaohs will be meeting for the 10th time at the Afcon, with Nigeria having a slight edge over their opponents. They have won five out of nine meetings, with Egypt only managing two and the rest ending in draws.
Nigeria will now be bidding for a ninth Afcon bronze medal against the Egyptians, who have won the bronze medal three times previously.
The big stars like Mohamed Salah, Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, and Omar Marmoush, amongst others, will be desperate not to bow out of the Afcon empty-handed, especially because they shook things up throughout the tournament.
Nigeria – Key Statistics
- Eliminated by hosts Morocco in the semi-finals after a 0–0 draw and penalty shoot-out defeat
- Had scored in their previous five matches before the semi-final
- Had scored in 12 successive Afcon matches before failing to score against Morocco
- Have scored 14 goals at the current finals, their highest tally at any Afcon edition
- Have contested seven third-place matches at Afcon and won all seven
- Have won four third-place matches by a 1–0 scoreline
- None of their seven third-place matches have gone to penalties
- Have finished in the Afcon top three 16 times, more than any other nation
- Stanley Nwabali made five saves in the semi-final against Morocco
Egypt – Key Statistics
- Eliminated in the semi-finals following a 1–0 defeat to Senegal
- Appearing in a third-place play-off for the sixth time
- Have won three and lost two previous third-place matches
- This is their second third-place match against a West African opponent
- All five previous third-place matches produced a winner
- None of their third-place matches have gone to penalties
- First appearance in a third-place match in the 21st century
- Have conceded five goals at the tournament
- Mohamed Salah has created 12 chances, the most in the squad
- Salah has 11 Afcon goals and could draw level with Hassan El-Shazly as Egypt’s top Afcon scorer
