Neither Nigeria nor Egypt will treat Saturday’s AFCON bronze-medal match as a formality. Instead, both sides arrive in Casablanca burdened by regret and an unyielding desire to finish strong.
These are two giants bruised by semi-final heartbreak. Egypt fell to Senegal’s Teranga Lions in Tangier, while Nigeria bowed out on penalties to hosts Morocco in Rabat.
Between them, the Super Eagles and Pharaohs own 10 AFCON titles. However, the gold medal once again slipped through their fingers in Morocco.
For stars like Victor Osimhen and Mohamed Salah, the disappointment cuts deeper as both have never won the competition, same as almost every player in each team. Yet Saturday offers redemption, even if it comes wrapped in bronze.
Nigeria, unbeaten in regulation time and boasting 14 goals from six matches, feel particularly aggrieved. Egypt have proven strong and dogged against opposition, as evident in how much Senegal laboured to overcome them in the last round.
Bronze on the line as rivals reignite a storied AFCON rivalry
Beyond pride, history sharpens this encounter. Nigeria and Egypt are AFCON’s most decorated bronze winners, with eight and six medals respectively.
A Super Eagles victory would widen that gap. Conversely, an Egyptian triumph would tighten an already storied rivalry.
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Notably, Nigeria have never lost a bronze-medal match at AFCON. Their very first, in 1976, came against Egypt in Addis Ababa. That 3–2 victory featured goals from Haruna Ilerika and Mudashiru Lawal. Since then, bronze success has followed Nigeria across generations and continents.
Their most recent third-place triumph came in Cairo. Odion Ighalo’s early strike against Tunisia secured bronze. Egypt, meanwhile, remain dangerous opponents. This will be the 25th senior meeting between both nations.
It is also their 10th AFCON clash. Nigeria have won five, drawn two, and lost two of the previous nine encounters.
Memories remain vivid from the 1984 semi-final in Abidjan where Nigeria recovered from two goals down before winning a dramatic shootout. More recently, Kelechi Iheanacho’s strike separated both teams in Garoua in 2022.
Saturday’s match adds another chapter under the Casablanca lights. Kick-off is 5pm at Stade Mohamed V.
SUPER EAGLES vs PHARAOHS – HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY
| Date | Match | Competition | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Dec 1959 | Nigeria 2–6 Egypt | Olympic qualifier | Lagos |
| 01 Jan 1960 | Egypt 3–0 Nigeria | Olympic qualifier | Cairo |
| 29 Nov 1960 | Nigeria 1–2 Egypt | Friendly | Lagos |
| 24 Nov 1963 | Egypt 6–3 Nigeria | AFCON | Kumasi |
| 14 Jan 1973 | Nigeria 4–2 Egypt | All-Africa Games | Lagos |
| 14 Mar 1976 | Egypt 2–3 Nigeria | AFCON | Addis Ababa |
| 08 Oct 1977 | Nigeria 4–0 Egypt | World Cup qualifier | Lagos |
| 21 Oct 1977 | Egypt 3–1 Nigeria | World Cup qualifier | Cairo |
| 15 Mar 1980 | Nigeria 1–0 Egypt | AFCON | Lagos |
| 14 Mar 1984 | Egypt 2–2 Nigeria | AFCON semi-final | Abidjan |
| 20 Mar 1988 | Egypt 0–0 Nigeria | AFCON | Rabat |
| 05 Mar 1990 | Egypt 0–1 Nigeria | AFCON | Algiers |
| 30 Mar 1994 | Egypt 0–0 Nigeria | AFCON | Tunis |
| 12 Jan 2010 | Egypt 3–1 Nigeria | AFCON | Benguela |
| 11 Jan 2022 | Nigeria 1–0 Egypt | AFCON | Garoua |
| 16 Dec 2025 | Egypt 2–1 Nigeria | Friendly | Cairo |
Tags: Nigeria, Egypt, Pharaohs, AFCON 2025 3rd Place Playoff, #AFCON2025, #SoarSuperEagles, #EGYNGA, Super Eagles, Casablanca, Stade Mohamed V.
