Nigeria’s senior men’s national team, the Super Eagles, will take on Algeria in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following the Desert Foxes’ dramatic 1-0 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday night.
Algeria booked their place in the last eight after edging past DR Congo at the Stade Prince Moulay Hassan in Rabat.
The tightly contested encounter remained goalless after 90 minutes, forcing the match into extra time.
Just when the game appeared destined for a penalty shootout, Adil Boulbina struck the decisive goal in the 119th minute, finishing off a fine assist from Ramiz Zerrouki to send the Desert Foxes through.
Saturday’s quarter-final clash will pitch two in-form giants of African football against each other, with both Nigeria and Algeria boasting perfect records of four wins from four matches at the tournament.
The encounter also revives memories of the 2019 AFCON semi-final, where Algeria defeated Nigeria 2-1 on their way to lifting the title.
The highly anticipated showdown between the Super Eagles and the Desert Foxes is scheduled for Saturday, January 10, 2026, at the Stade de Marrakech, with kick-off set for 5:00 pm Nigerian time.
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.
