Cheima Moufdil
Winners in their opening matches, Nigeria and Tunisia face off in their second Group C fixture at the Complexe Sportif de Fes in Fes. Both sides will be aiming to secure qualification to the knockout stage after strong starts to their campaigns.
Nigeria come into the match after a 2–1 victory over Tanzania, while Tunisia opened with a 3–1 win against Uganda.
Historical Context
The rivalry between Nigeria and Tunisia stretches back over six decades. Their first meeting was in 1961 during qualifying for the 1962 Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria won the home leg 2–1, but walked off in the return leg with the score at 2–2; Tunisia were awarded a 2–0 victory and qualified on a 3–2 aggregate.
The two sides have also clashed in FIFA World Cup qualifiers across four tournaments (1978, 1982, 1986, 2010), with a mix of results, including penalty shootouts and decisive victories.
At the AFCON finals, Nigeria and Tunisia have met six times. Nigeria hold a slight edge with three wins to Tunisia’s one, with two matches ending in draws decided by penalties. Notable encounters include:
* 1978 (Third-place play-off): Nigeria awarded a 2–0 win after Tunisia walked off at 1–1.
* 2000 (Group stage): Nigeria 4–2 Tunisia.
* 2004 (Semi-final): 1–1; Tunisia won 5–3 on penalties.
* 2006 (Quarter-final): 1–1; Nigeria won 6–5 on penalties.
* 2019 (Third-place play-off): Nigeria 1–0 Tunisia (Odion Ighalo).
* 2021 (Round of 16): Tunisia 1–0 Nigeria (Youssef Msakni).
Past AFCON record:
* Nigeria: P6 W3 D2 L1, GF9 GA5
* Tunisia: P6 W1 D2 L3, GF5 GA9
Key Statistics – Nigeria
* Opened AFCON with a win for the 14th time.
* Unbeaten in their last seven group matches (W6 D1).
* Won the last three group matches by a single goal.
* Victor Osimhen attempted seven shots vs Tanzania, the most by a Nigerian in an AFCON match since 2010.
* Ademola Lookman scored a long-range winner, first Nigerian to score from distance at AFCON since 2013.
* Alex Iwobi recorded two assists in his 19th AFCON appearance.
* Completed 451 of 501 passes against Tanzania; Iwobi and Calvin Bassey completed 71 each.
Key Statistics – Tunisia
* Opened AFCON with a 3–1 win over Uganda, ending a four-match winless run.
* Ellyes Skhiri scored Tunisia’s 100th goal in AFCON finals.
* Skhiri’s goal was the first within 10 minutes of a tournament opener since 2008.
* Elias Achouri scored twice, the first Tunisian to do so at AFCON since 2021.
* Unbeaten in their second group match in last five AFCON appearances (W3 D2).
* Hannibal Mejbri created four chances against Uganda; Montassar Talbi led passing with 48 completions from 51 attempts.
With both teams riding positive momentum, the clash promises to be a tightly contested battle, with qualification for the knockout stage on the line.