By Monsurah Olatunji
Former Nigerian international Victor Ikpeba has described Nigeria’s draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as “fair,” but warned that the Super Eagles should not underestimate their opponents.
The Super Eagles, three-time AFCON champions, will face 2004 champions Tunisia, Uganda, and Tanzania in Group C, following the draw held on Monday night at the Mohamed V National Theatre in Rabat, Morocco.
Nigeria enters the tournament with a rich history, having claimed 16 medals from 20 AFCON appearances, including titles in 1980, 1994, and 2013.
Ikpeba, while reflecting on the group stage matchups, acknowledged that the competition would be challenging under new head coach Eric Chelle as Nigeria aims for a fourth title in Morocco.
“I will take the Super Eagles’ group as against some of the other first-round groups,” Ikpeba told Super Sport.
“It will be difficult because even the so-called small teams have made a lot of progress, as we saw at the last AFCON, but we have what it takes to get out of the group.”
Ikpeba’s remarks underline the growing strength of African teams across the continent.
The Super Eagles will need to remain focused and avoid complacency if they are to navigate their group and progress through the tournament.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
