Nigeria and Algeria will face off on January 10, 2025, in Marrakech, Morocco, in a heavyweight quarter-final of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, a meeting that blends recent head-to-head history with contrasting tournament narratives.
In recent years, Algeria have held the upper hand in this rivalry. Across the last five senior international meetings, the Desert Warriors have recorded three wins, Nigeria one, with one draw, often edging encounters through moments of precision rather than outright dominance.
Their latest meeting came in September 2022, when Algeria defeated Nigeria 2–1 in a friendly in Oran. Riyad Mahrez and Youcef Atal scored for Algeria, while Terem Moffi got Nigeria’s goal. That followed a 1–0 Algerian win in an October 2020 friendly, settled by Ramy Bensebaini.
The most consequential clash remains the 2019 AFCON semi-final in Cairo, where Algeria won 2–1. A William Troost-Ekong own goal and a dramatic late Mahrez free-kick proved decisive, cancelling out Odion Ighalo’s penalty for Nigeria.
Nigeria’s lone victory in this sequence came in November 2016, a World Cup qualifier in Uyo, where the Super Eagles won 3–1. John Mikel Obi scored twice from the penalty spot, Victor Moses added a third, while Mahrez scored Algeria’s goal. The return fixture in Blida in 2017 ended 1–1, with goals from Mahrez and John Ogu.
At AFCON 2025, however, Nigeria arrive with formidable momentum. The Super Eagles won all three group matches before thrashing Mozambique in the Round of 16. In four matches, Nigeria have scored 12 goals and conceded four, marking them out as one of the tournament’s most aggressive attacking sides.
Algeria’s campaign has been equally efficient, though less explosive. In the group stage, the Desert Warriors defeated Sudan 3–0, edged Burkina Faso 1–0, and beat Equatorial Guinea 3–1 to finish with a perfect record. In the Round of 16, they overcame DR Congo 1–0 after extra time, sealing qualification with a late winner.
Nigeria’s attacking progress is now central to the quarter-final narrative. The Super Eagles are led by reigning African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, whose movement, pace and finishing have driven Nigeria’s goal surge and unsettled every defence they have faced in Morocco.
That firepower is expected to pose a major headache for Algeria, who will again rely on structure, experience and the influence of Mahrez to control tempo and limit space. For Nigeria, the task is translating attacking momentum into authority against a disciplined opponent they know well.
As the teams prepare for Marrakech, history offers Algeria confidence, but current AFCON form strongly favours Nigeria. The quarter-final will test whether past patterns endure, or whether the Super Eagles’ attacking edge finally reshapes one of Africa’s most compelling modern rivalries.
