Runners-up two years ago, they have again reached the semi-finals and next face hosts Morocco in Rabat on Wednesday, a team that has not lost a competitive full international match at home since 2009.
It is a true heavyweight clash, with Nigeria closing in on several records, having already set a number of team bests at the continental finals.
Goals galore
Nigeria have scored at least two goals in each of their first five matches at the 2025 AFCON, the first time the country has achieved that feat at the continental finals.
The last time they scored two goals in five matches at a single AFCON was as co-hosts in 2000. They have never scored two or more goals in six games at one edition.
Egypt (1974 and 2010) are the only other nation to have scored two or more goals in each of their first five fixtures at AFCON.
The 14 goals scored so far is already Nigeria’s highest tally at a single AFCON, as they close in on the all-time record of 16 set by Ivory Coast in 2008.
The Super Eagles have scored in each of their last 12 AFCON matches, last failing to find the net against Tunisia in the Round of 16 at the 2021 edition.
Nigeria have never lost an AFCON match in which star striker Victor Osimhen has scored or assisted, winning five of those seven games and drawing two.
Winning run
Nigeria have won five successive matches at the AFCON for the first time in their history, with the last time they won five games in total at a single edition coming in 2019.
They have never won six matches in a row, nor six matches in total, at the AFCON.
They are now aiming to win three successive knockout matches in open play (before penalties) for the first time since lifting the trophy in South Africa in 2013.
Semi-final regulars
Nigeria will extend their own record for AFCON semi-final appearances to 17, a remarkable achievement given that their first last-four appearance came in 1978, 21 years after the tournament was first staged.
They have now reached the semi-finals in 17 of the last 20 editions for which they have qualified, missing out only in 1982, 2008 and 2021.
Their semi-final record is mixed, having progressed to the final on eight occasions and been eliminated seven times. Of those eight semi-final victories, four required penalty shoot-outs.
Conversely, they have lost on penalties just once among their seven semi-final eliminations. Overall, Nigeria have contested eight penalty shoot-outs at AFCON, winning six, a joint record they share with Egypt.
