There will be great expectation that they can end their 50-year wait for the African crown, but Nigeria present a formidable opponent and the Moroccans have not always been at their best in this year’s competition.
They will find little comfort in the history books, with the past littered with disappointment.
Poor semi-final record
When Morocco lifted the trophy in 1976, there was no semi-final round. Instead, a second group stage was used to determine the winner, and they finished top with five points, ahead of Guinea (4) and Nigeria (3).
Morocco have therefore featured in four previous semi-final matches at the continental championship and emerged victorious just once, which came 22 years ago in Tunisia, where they later lost 2-1 in the final.
On that occasion, they defeated Mali 4-0 in the semi-final, in one of the most one-sided last-four clashes the competition has seen.
Before that, there were three semi-final defeats. They lost 1-0 to hosts and eventual champions Nigeria in 1980, and 1-0 to hosts and champions Egypt in 1986.
They were edged 1-0 by Cameroon on home soil in 1988, with the Indomitable Lions also going on to lift the trophy, meaning all three of Morocco’s semi-final defeats came against eventual champions.
Nigeria will see that as a good omen if they can advance this year.
Broken records in 2025
Morocco have been workmanlike and largely efficient throughout the 2025 edition, without ever quite hitting top gear.
Several players have set new benchmarks for the country at the continental finals, including Brahim Díaz, who has scored in five successive matches, the first Moroccan to achieve that feat at a Cup of Nations.
He is now one goal shy of Ahmed Faras’ all-time Cup of Nations scoring record for Morocco.
Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has become the first Moroccan goalkeeper to keep four clean sheets at a Cup of Nations, also a team record for a single finals.
Morocco have scored five set-piece goals at the 2025 tournament, more than any other team, something Nigeria will need to be wary of.
Past clashes at the Cup of Nations
Morocco and Nigeria meet at the Cup of Nations for the sixth time, with all five previous AFCON meetings producing a winner. It will be their first clash since 2004.
They first met in 1976 in both the group stage and the second pool phase, with Morocco winning both matches (3-1 and 2-1) on their way to lifting the title.
Nigeria won their only other semi-final meeting in 1980, triumphing 1-0 with Felix Owolabi scoring the winner in the ninth minute.
They met again in 2000, when Nigeria eliminated Morocco in their final Group D match with a 2-0 victory, Finidi George and Julius Aghahowa scoring for the Super Eagles.
Their last Cup of Nations meeting came in the group stage in 2004, when Morocco claimed a 1-0 win in the opening match, Youssouf Hadji scoring the only goal in the 77th minute.
