AFCON 2025: Another Chance Missed for Osimhen and His Teammates

In 2019, Victor Osimhen made his initial appearance in the Africa Nations Cup held in Egypt, where he played just 45 minutes during the third-place match against Tunisia, which resulted in a 1-0 victory for the Super Eagles in Cairo.

While his teammates and coaching staff were celebrating their ‘golden bronze’ at the Le Meridien Cairo Airport hotel, Osimhen, then with Sporting Charleroi in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, remarked that his experience at the 2019 AFCON was a significant learning opportunity for him and other emerging players.

“I’m thrilled to have garnered senior tournament experience in this competition,” he expressed to The Guardian. “Everyone, particularly myself, is still in the learning process. I made my AFCON debut here in Egypt 2019. This is the premier platform in African football and a tremendous milestone for me,” he stated.

Osimhen views his participation in the 2019 tournament as a foundational experience for his generation. “We dominate this space, and I am confident that in the future we will reign supreme in the Africa Nations Cup. The insights I gained in Egypt will undoubtedly aid me moving forward,” he asserted.

True to his words, Osimhen has elevated his football career since the 2019 AFCON, winning the title of Africa Footballer of the Year in 2023 and transitioning between several top-tier European clubs.

Nevertheless, Osimhen faces disappointment as he still seeks his ultimate aspiration of securing the AFCON title. Two years after the Egypt tournament, he was excluded from the Super Eagles' roster for the Cameroon 2021 AFCON due to testing positive for COVID-19. Furthermore, he was in recovery from facial injuries sustained during a match for Napoli in November 2020. That squad, managed by Coach Augustine Eguavoen, returned home after an early exit in the round of 16, marking their worst performance.

In the subsequent AFCON held in Côte d’Ivoire, Osimhen and his teammates came close to capturing the title but ultimately lost to the host nation. During the tournament in Morocco, the Super Eagles centered their hopes around Osimhen. Throughout the cities of Fes, Casablanca, Marrakech, and Rabat, Osimhen's name rang out, leading many Moroccan fans to rate him higher than their own star, Achraf Hakimi, the reigning Africa Footballer of the Year.

From the group stage through the round of 16 in Fes, cheers of “Osimhen! Osimhen!” could be heard whenever the Super Eagles struggled to score. Osimhen scored four goals and delivered several assists during the matches.

However, all of that became irrelevant as the Super Eagles were unable to lift the tournament jinx in a recent match, managing just two shots throughout, with only one on target against Morocco.

Historically, the Super Eagles have yet to defeat a host nation in an AFCON knockout round, excluding third-place playoff matches, and many fans were hopeful this would change in Rabat. At Algiers '90, they lost 1-0 to Algeria in the final, and at Tunisia 2004, the semifinal against the hosts ended in a draw before Tunisia advanced on penalties. At Ghana 2008, the Super Eagles were eliminated 2-1 in the quarter-finals by the host country, and in the previous AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire, they fell 2-1 to the hosts in the final.

Alongside their ongoing struggles against host nations, the Super Eagles' penalty shootout difficulties resurfaced, as Morocco triumphed 4-2 in the penalty shootout after a goalless 120 minutes.

This defeat further echoed Nigeria's sorrow from the previous November, when they were eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoffs through penalties against DR Congo. The setback not only dampens hopes for a fourth continental title but also delays Osimhen’s ambition of adding an AFCON championship to his accolades.

In addition to the long pursuit of the AFCON title, Osimhen and several members of the current Super Eagles squad must now fervently hope for success in Nigeria’s appeal against DR Congo in hopes of participating in the FIFA World Cup during their careers. The squad missed their chance to compete at Qatar 2022, and not qualifying for 2026 could be significant for many players, given that some may no longer be on the team due to aging, potentially resulting in a decline in their performance.