Nigeria’s senior men’s national team have revised their pre-tournament programme for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following FIFA’s updated directive on mandatory player release dates.
Super Eagles had originally planned to open camp on December 10, but FIFA has formally informed national associations that clubs are only obliged to release players from December 15. In compliance with the new guideline, the Super Eagles will now begin camp on December 14, giving the technical crew a very tight window to assemble and shape the squad before the competition gets underway.
The revised release period has also forced a change in the team’s training location. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has abandoned its earlier plan to hold camp in Egypt. Instead, the Super Eagles will now stay in Morocco, the host country of AFCON 2025, for their final phase of preparations. Training in Morocco is expected to reduce travel strain and provide the team with direct access to match-ready facilities ahead of the tournament.
The scheduling adjustment reflects the challenge faced by national teams across Africa, many of whom now have significantly reduced preparation time due to the global calendar changes.
Three-time African champions Nigeria enter the tournament among the favourites, having finished as runners-up at the 2023 AFCON, where they lost 2–1 to hosts Côte d’Ivoire in the final.
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.
