Much has been made of Nigeria’s disappointing effort in qualifying for next summer’s FIFA World Cup. The Super Eagles rallied after winning just one of their opening six games in the race for a spot in North America last summer, beating Lesotho and then thumping Benin by four goals to nil to secure a spot in the African playoffs.
But it was DR Congo who managed to outlast the four of the continent’s finest in those playoffs, taking advantage of misses from Nigeria’s Moses Simon and Semi Ajayi in the playoff final to secure a penalty shootout victory and a spot in the intercontinental playoffs.
Nigeria now has the perfect opportunity to put right those qualifying mistakes as the 2025 African Cup of Nations gets underway in Morocco.
The Super Eagles are without a continental crown since that famous 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in South Africa back in 2013, with Sunday Mba’s first-half strike securing the win.
They did, however, reach the final two years ago, where they lost to the hosting Ivory Coast after second-half goals from Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller.
Led by attacking superstars Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, Nigeria is considered a 10/1 fifth favourite to leave Morocco as champions of Africa for the fourth time. But who are the teams currently ahead of them in the betting charts? Let’s take a look.
Morocco
Hosts Morocco are, without question, the leading lights in African football right now. Back in 2022, the Atlas Lions became the first team from the continent to ever reach the semifinals of the World Cup, an achievement that online betting sites have clearly taken note of. The latest soccer betting at Bovada odds currently gives the Moroccans an 80/1 shot to win the World Cup next summer, the shortest-priced African nation by some distance.
But before that can get underway, the Atlas Lions first have to conquer the continent, and the bookies make them an 11/4 favourite to do exactly that. Led by the likes of Hakim Ziyech and Achraf Hakimi, Morocco’s squad is stacked with talent, and with a raucous home crowd at their back, they will certainly take some stopping.
However, it has to be said that their AFCON record is miserable, and the Moroccans haven’t made it past the quarterfinals since 2004. That will have to be rectified if the title is to head to the Atlas Mountains for the first time since 1976.
Egypt
While Morocco may not have much AFCON pedigree, Egypt certainly does. The Pharaohs are the record seven-time champions, with their threepeat of trophies between 2006 and 2010 considered one of the finest achievements in African football history. However, the latter of those three straight crowns remains their most recent, and the Egyptians will head to Morocco without an AFCON title in 15 years.
Since 2010, Egypt has reached two finals, losing the first to Cameroon in 2017, before losing a heartbreaking penalty shootout to Senegal in 2021. With the talismanic Mohamed Salah starting to show signs of age at club level with Liverpool, the Pharaohs are by no means the favourites they once were. Still, as 11/2 second favourites, they are certainly in with a chance.
Algeria
Despite all its qualities, Algeria has struggled in recent years. The Greens haven’t qualified for each of the last two FIFA World Cups, while they also haven’t made it out of the group at the Africa Cup of Nations since winning the trophy for just the second time back in 2019. Still, they head to Morocco full of confidence after securing their World Cup return, and the bookies consider them a dangerous 6/1 third favourite.
The star of the show remains former Manchester City man Riyad Mahrez, who still has the quality to win matches on his own at the age of 34. With Marseille man Amine Gouiri injured and missing the tournament, expect Mahre to be supported by the likes of Wolfsburg striker Mohamed Amoura, former West Ham star Saïd Benrahma, and current Manchester City wing-back Rayan Aït-Nouri. That should be more than enough firepower to lead the Algerians to a deep tournament run, but whether they have the required ammunition to mount an all-out assault on the title remains to be seen.
Senegal
Senegal famously claimed the title for the first time back in 2021, with star striker Sadio Mane defeating then Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah and his Egyptian teammates on penalties in Cameroon. The defence of their title couldn’t have gone much worse, however, as the Lions of Teranga were dumped out in the second round by eventual champions Ivory Coast, also on penalties.
Fast forward to now, and the Senegalese have aged somewhat; Mane is now 33, while fellow heroes from that 2021 run, Kalidou Koulibaly and Eduard Mendy, are both in the twilight of their careers. As such, younger stars such as Nicolas Jackson, Iliman Ndiaye, and Ismaila Sarr must pick up the mantle and carry the weight of expectation. If they do, they may well outperform their 6/1 odds.
