- Nigeria has reached the AFCON semi-finals 16 times, matching Egypt’s record for the most appearances in the last four
- The Super Eagles secured their spot with a 1-0 victory over Angola, thanks to Ademola Lookman’s decisive goal
Nigeria has earned a spot in the semi-finals of the AFCON for the 16th time, matching Egypt’s record for the most appearances in the last four of the competition.
The Super Eagles secured their semi-final berth in the CAF AFCON Côte d’Ivoire 2023 after a 1-0 victory over Angola, courtesy of Ademola Lookman’s goal.
This marks Nigeria’s 16th semi-final appearance out of 20 total participations, putting them on par with Egypt, who have also reached the last four 16 times in 26 appearances.
Following closely behind, Ghana ranks third with 14 semi-finals played in 24 appearances, while Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire have each made it to the semi-finals 10 times.
Despite Nigeria’s impressive semi-final record, they have only lifted the AFCON trophy three times. In contrast, Egypt holds the record with 7 titles, Cameroon with 5, and Ghana with 4.
On Wednesday, 7th February 2024, José Peseiro and his team will square off against South Africa in the semi-finals, aiming to secure their spot in the competition’s final for the 8th time, trailing behind Ghana by one final appearance, Egypt by two, and leading Cameroon by one.
AFCON 2023: Semifinal against Nigeria will be different, says S/African coach
Hugo Bruce, South African coach, says he will approach the semi-final match against Nigeria differently from Bafana Bafana’s style in their quarter-final game against Cape Verde on Saturday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was the hero. South Africa beat Cape Verde 5-3 on penalties following a goalless 120 minutes to advance to the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals.
After an impressive four penalty saves by Williams, Bafana Bafana secured their place in the semi-finals for the first time since 2000 where they will meet Nigeria.
Bruce told newsmen at a post-match conference that the game against Nigeria would be an entirely different ‘kettle of fish.’