AFCON 2025
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has named three teams that the Super Eagles must be wary of in their quest to win a fourth Africa Cup of Nations.
The 32-year-old defender played down the notion that the Super Eagles are overwhelming favorites to win the title over host Morocco and defending champions, Cote D’Ivoire.
William Troost-ekong named Morocco, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire as the three teams that can stop Nigeria from winning a fourth AFCON title.
Troost-Ekong scored in the final as the three-time African Champions lost 2-1 to host Cote D’Ivoire in the final of the last edition of the tournament.
Despite having a pool of talented players, the central defender believes it does not make them favorites to dethrone the Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire.
“I think that’s overstated. We’ve got an amazing squad—too many players to name—but objectively, Morocco are at home and in great form; Côte d’Ivoire are defending champions; Senegal,… there’s no such thing as a clear favourite at AFCON,” Troost-Ekong told CAF’s official webpage.
“Last time, not many tipped us to go that far. You can’t win a tournament with expectations, and we won’t get complacent.”
“AFCON is difficult, and strong teams can emerge from unexpected places. We trust ourselves, but I wouldn’t say we’re clear favourites,” he added.
Nigeria are in Group C with former champions Tunisia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled for 21 Dec 2025 – 18 Jan 2026 in nine stadia across six host cities.
Meanwhile, William Troost-William, if he makes the Super Eagles squad, will look to ahead to his goals tally in the tournament. The Super Eagles captain is the highest-scoring defender in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations, with five goals across three competitions.
