Nigeria secured qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with two games to spare, thanks to Libya’s 1-0 away win over Rwanda on Thursday.
Prior to their 1-1 draw against the Cheetahs in Abidjan, Augustine Eguavoen’s squad needed just a point to guarantee their spot in the African showpiece set to take place in Morocco.
However, they qualified even before their match against Gernot Rohr’s Cheetahs, who are also on track for a potential return to the tournament.
Meanwhile, Victor Osimhen’s goal saw him match Segun Odegbami’s international goal tally. Mohamed Tijani had given the hosts a first-half lead, but the Galatasaray striker scored the equalizer with nine minutes remaining, marking his 37th cap.
He is now joint-second with the former international captain, both having scored 23 goals and is just 14 goals away from matching Rashidi Yekini’s all-time record.
Libya’s hopes of making a comeback to the competition vanished after the Confederation of African Football’s disciplinary board awarded Nigeria a 3-0 victory and fined the Libyan Football Federation $50,000 (£38,500) due to the poor treatment faced by the Nigerian team during their visit.
Nonetheless, they quieted the hopeful Amavubi in front of their home fans at Stade Amahoro in Kigali. Despite the hosts controlling possession, the Mediterranean Knights clinched victory with Fahd Saad Mohamed’s decisive goal in the 84th minute.
Just four minutes after replacing Fahd Saad El Mariamy, the 20-year-old made an impact by firing past goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari following an assist from Nouradin Elgelaib.
Libya will be hopeful of qualifying, as they have moved to appeal the AFCON sanctions related to Nigeria’s boycott.
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has stated they will pursue the highest levels of litigation in an effort to overturn the sanctions.
Nigeria will be making their 21st appearance in the biennial African championship, having debuted in 1963 in Ghana, where they finished sixth after exiting in the group stage.
They have gone on to win the AFCON title three times (in Nigeria 1980, Tunisia 1994, and South Africa 2013) and have finished as runners-up on five occasions.
The Super Eagles hold the record for the most bronze medals in AFCON history, securing third place eight times. Nigeria finished as runners-up in their last appearance in Côte d’Ivoire.
Notwithstanding a strong performance, the West Africans fell 2-1 to the hosts in the final, even after taking an early lead through the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, William Troost-Ekong.
They will aim to close their qualifying campaign with a victory when Rwanda’s senior national team visits on Monday.
As it stands in Group D, Nigeria are the only team qualified, with Benin Republic, Libya, and Rwanda set to battle it out for the final spot in what promises to be a tense final day of qualifiers.
In addition to hosts Morocco, the other countries that have qualified are Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda.
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